Wufei's First Kiss
by shenkai
Summary: Duo & Wufei haven't seen each other in 10 yrs, when Wufei seemingly disappeared. Reunited by a very unlikely source, Heero, they come to terms with the spark ignored during the war & finally let go of their masks to find each other. 5x2 Warning: Male preg
1. Chapter 1

Duo opened the new laptop that Heero gave him for his birthday. Like most of the children from the war, he wasn't sure exactly when the actual event was, so Heero had decided that Duo was definitely an Aquarius and told him to choose his birthday accordingly. Then it was just a matter of choosing between January 22nd and February 22nd, so he had decided by throwing a dart at the calendar, and luck made it February 13th, after twelve throws that landed consecutively on January 29th.

Heero had decided that he was tired of losing his laptop every time the braided former Gundam pilot needed to do a research paper, so he was going to just procure him one from the same place he had acquired his from, but Relena would have none of it, insisting that she could afford to purchase one. So after the long argument that followed, in which she claimed that if he was going to live under her roof, he needed to think about a change of habit, and he countered that if he wanted to live the life of a spoiled rich snob he could move back in with Quatre and Zechs and at least get better satisfaction in the bedroom, instead of the polite sex that they always had in her fluffy pink nightmare of a room.

Somehow the argument was good for the both of them, Heero delivered the purple and gunmetal grey computer, and Relena went on a shopping spree with an interior designer named Serge and Quatre, the trio comparing notes on Heero and Quatre giving Relena new ideas to try on her fiancee.

Duo's first impression of the new Heero that stood on his welcome mat, green 40's style overcoat dripping water on the absorbent mat, and thankfully not on the newly refinished hardwood floor, was that he was a man that had been newly conquered, and yet he could see the self-satisfied grin that Heero always wore when he had triumphed over a new enemy. Opening the box that his former leader had given him provided more questions than answers.

"Wait here. I'll get you something to put your wet coat in. You must at the very least stay for coffee. I think Hilde bought some the last time she went shopping." Duo said, setting the box and its contents down on the table in the entryway next to the coat rack and stopping the Japanese man from leaving as he had turned to do so. The braided pilot ran down the hall before Heero could respond, disappearing into the hall closet and coming out with a hanger and a towel, he went to the kitchen and found under the sink one of the fifty gallon bags he used to pick up trash outside in the courtyard that the neighborhood kids liked to play in. Setting the coffee to brew, and grabbing an extra bag to lay on the floor for Heero to step on as he removed his wet boots along with the coat he returned to the entry way to see Heero with a puzzled look on his face.

"Hilde lives with you? I didn't know you were trying to be straight?" Heero questioned as Duo lay the black plastic down in front of him before handing him the towel and hanger.

Duo looked at him with a curious expression on his face, "No, she goes shopping for me. I tend to forget to buy groceries, so she comes by twice a week to restock my pantry so I don't starve."

Heero laughed, "I'm sure you must keep her busy with your appetite."

Duo stuck out his tongue, "It's just lucky for you that she was here yesterday."

They had discussed many things before Heero left at Relena's call: the war, Trowa and Iria's wedding, Zechs and Quatre's commitment ceremony, Relena. It was surprising that they had fell into such an easy camaraderie, given the way Heero had left before.

_Duo,_

_I don't expect you to understand it, but I can't go on any longer like this. There is nothing here for me but misery and resentment. It was fun during the war, but now that the war is over I need to move on. I'm in love with Relena. We've been seeing each other for a while now, and we want to see where it would go, so she's asked me to move in. I never thought it would come to this. Good bye, Duo. And good luck with whatever you decide to do._

_Heero_

_The note was just laying on the night stand. Duo arrived home from work, taken a quick shower, and sat in front of the television for nigh on about six hours before his stomach protested that he hadn't eaten anything yet. The clock shown midnight, and it was then that he began to look around the house, Heero should have been back at seven._

_All the drawers were empty, everything was gone, and then he found the note. And his hand picked up the phone of its own volition, dialing his number which went straight to voice mail. "You Fucking Asshole! I don't know why we ever thought you were so damn great. Don't even have the balls to face me or pick up your damned phone. You Fucking Cocksucker. Hope you and the pink bitch have a great life. You fucking deserve each other." Duo threw the phone across the room, it shattered into a million pieces against the portrait on the wall of the two of them, shattering the supposedly shatterproof frame as well._

_Luckily, Quatre had been tipped off by Heero and was on his way over, or else Duo might not have made it. Quatre used Heero's key to let himself in, not bothering with the formalities of knocking, and found Duo in the bedroom, sitting on the floor, beating the ground with his fists, where he had laid the picture out, blood spraying all over the wall from where he had slit his wrists, the picture almost totally blocked out by the red._

That was four years ago. Now, Duo was again alone, but it was alright now. He survived seeing Heero again, and it didn't hurt anymore. He returned to the entryway and retrieved his birthday gift, taking it to the living room, he set it down on the coffee table before sitting down himself on the floor in order be at the same level with the computer.

He opened the laptop and pressed the power button, instantly surprised that the screen came on to an already opened file which was a newspaper article about humanitarian efforts on L2 colony. "Cleaning up the slum of space. A former rebel sets to make amends for the brutality of war." Duo read the headline aloud, wondering why it was on the screen. Not bothering to read the actual article, he scrolled down to the photo section, the first set was pictures of the L2 that Duo remembered, a tear coming to his eye as he saw a pile of rubble that still had legible writing from the building's facade, "well Church." The next series showed an entirely different view, cleaned up streets, beautiful city parks, and a new building that looked too much like it had before the war, Maxwell Church, and standing on the steps in front of the building was none other than Chang Wufei, shaking hands with the priest and sisters who were no doubt running the new church.

"Wufei. Is that where the fuck you've been hiding these past ten years? But why L2, buddy? I'm sure your family's colony was worse off." Duo said to the computer screen.

"Maxwell, I knew how much it would mean to you." Wufei's answer caused the former Gundam pilot to jump up, thermo-weapon drawn from under the coffee table, he spun around, surveying the room to find it was still empty. Looking at the computer screen, Wufei's face was in the bottom corner of the screen, light sounds of laughter coming from the computer as he had seen Duo's reaction. "Maxwell, sit down. I'm still on the colony. I've been waiting all day for you to open your present. Yuy didn't say it was going to take so long."

Duo grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he sat back down at the computer. "My fault. We finally had a chance to talk things out."

Wufei nodded in understanding. He too had talked with Heero and laid everything out on the table. Each had forgiven the other: Heero for Wufei taking up arms against them with the Mariemaia situation, and Wufei for Heero treating Duo like shit. "Yes, and I believe that now it is time you and I had a chance to talk. Look again in the box, there should be a ticket for a shuttle. Your bags are already at the terminal. You now only have thirty minutes to get to the terminal, but I know that there is a patrol car waiting in front of your apartment complex to get you there fast. I can't wait to see you, Maxwell, face to face. You'll be the first one of us that to come here, I hoped it would be you."

Duo got up and looked out the window that overlooked the street, there was indeed a squad car parked on the curb, a police officer was leaning on the car looking up at his window. The officer waved and Duo waved back before returning to the computer. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

Wufei smiled as the lid began to close on the computer, Duo not bothering to turn it off.

Duo rummaged through the tissue paper in the box and found the ticket, and putting the laptop in the bag that was also hiding under the tissue he was out the door.

"Mr. Maxwell," the police officer said, tipping his hat. "You'll be riding up front, with me." He opened the passenger side door, tossing his cigarette carelessly at the trash bin near the curb.

Duo watched as the butt went into the bin, flashed him one of his signature smiles, and climbed in. "To the shuttle. And it's Duo, by the way."

"Dee. Dee Laytner" the officer said1, pointing at himself before closing the door.

He went around the front of the car, and Duo couldn't help but appreciate the specimen of masculinity in front of him. _Gawd, it's been way too long._ Dee climbed behind the wheel, and Duo too quickly looked away to the sidewalk, missing Dee's smug smile. "So how long have you been a cop?" Duo asked, not turning to look at him.

"Well, I'm actually a detective. I've just been assigned to work the beat temporarily. And I'm driving you as a personal favor to Chang." Dee boldly raked his eyes over Duo. "But he didn't warn me that you were such a looker. You and he involved or anything?"

Duo turned back to look at the cop, "You know Wufei?"

Dee chuckled, "Let me get you to the shuttle before it leaves without you." _Jeez, between Ryo pushing me away and this guy barely noticing me. It's enough to crush a guy's ego. _He put the car in gear and sped off.

"So, Detective, I assume you got into major trouble to be demoted to the beat."

Dee winked, "I stay in trouble."

Duo decided that it would be best if he didn't pursue any further conversation with the Detective, since it was obvious that not only was he going to evade any questions, but he was definitely stirring up trouble for Duo if he planned on being on the shuttle. It had been so long that he knew if this hunky cop made a move, he'd jump him right here in the car. "I don't think that Wufei would consider us anything. He just wanted me to see what he's done in person."

"That's too bad. He really needs someone." Dee looked serious now, and Duo looked out the window at the stoplight they were approaching. It had been green a while, but there was another squad car parked at the red light. "Want some action?" Dee asked, turning on the siren and flashing lights, and picking up speed, they sped through the yellow light. The other squad car followed suit, turning into traffic behind them.

"What's the situation, Dee?" a gentle masculine voice came over on the walkie talkie on Dee's cellphone.

"Tee hee." Dee said, picking up the phone to respond. He used it to point to the car behind, "My partner." Duo looked back and saw the car also had only one occupant. No one riding shotgun.

"Nothing, Ryo. Just got to make it to the shuttleport before the next flight to L2 leaves. Follow me, and we'll have dinner." Neither had come over on the station's radio, like they were trying to keep everything off of police radars.

"Sure. But what's at the shuttleport?"

"Oh." _I almost forgot since he accepted my invite._ "I've got a VIP in the car with me. He's going by Chang's personal invite."

"Oh! Hi Duo." Duo raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"Um... Hi. How do you know who I am?" Duo asked. The shuttleport was coming into view and Dee picked up speed.

"Oh, Wufei talked about you all the time. I hope everything works out for you. We'll definitely have to talk later. I'd like to meet the infamous Duo Maxwell." Dee stopped the car, turning off the siren and lights. Ryo pulled in right behind him, getting out of the car to let Duo out.

Now Duo knew how he'd look with short hair. Ryo's chestnut hair and facial features so mirrored his own, down to the cute nose and smile. Only the black eyes disarmed him. They suggested a mixed breeding of some kind, he must be part Asian. Ryo pulled Duo into a hug, "I've waited so long to meet you, but I feel like I've known you forever."

Duo breathed a sigh of relief as the final boarding call was announced. Ryo had insisted on escorting him to the gate, and Dee, jealous as always, was determined to come along and placed himself between them the whole way.

The American pilot had found out in the course of their conversation that Ryo had shared his apartment with Wufei while they were in college. Dee had looked concerned about that fact. Especially since Ryo said that they had kept in touch once Wufei had left for the colonies, having dinner together from time to time. Ryo even used his connections to help Wufei find some people, who exactly he was searching for Ryo wouldn't say.

Once the shuttle took off, Duo took out the lap top. Again Wufei's smiling face was in the bottom corner of the screen, though now a different document filled the main part of the screen. It was a three dimensional rendering of a memorial dedicated to those lost during the war. It was a stone angel, and he was looking down in sorrow, clutching his staff across his body, his fist rested above his heart. His wings draped about him like a cape or a blanket, barely shielding his nakedness, and a cross rose up behind him on the hill he was standing on. The wings were unique in that the scaled feathers caught strange shadows in the light. Closer inspection revealed that the staff was a scythe, blade to the ground, and the naked angel had a long braid down his back.

"The artist called it _Shinigami, Bringer of Peace_." Wufei said as the image on the screen rotated. "She did one for each of the colonies, but I must say yours is the most moving. Each feather is the face of an innocent who lost their life due to the war."

"It's naked." Duo said.

"It's art. And they all are. You should see Quatre's." Wufei laughed, pushing a button on his computer to load the file. Quatre's wings were raised in all the splendor of majesty though his gaze was cast down in humility. His arms were crossed at his chest, as if he were hugging himself. His feet barely touched the pedestal that was surrounded by miniature Maganac Corps mobile suits, kneeling in supplication. _Sandrock, Heart of Space._

Duo laughed, one of those laughs that totally takes over your body, and Wufei quickly changed the picture, in case he drew attention from one of the passengers on the mostly empty shuttle. "They haven't been done yet. Lu just turned in the designs. I'm considering having her add clothes to them, at least a scarf or perhaps Isaiah's wings.2"

A surprised look crossed Duo's face. "You know of Isaiah's vision of heaven? I didn't think that it would fit in your beliefs." He gazed at the new file in front of him. Angelic Trowa, Lion sitting at his feet, his mane covering his neither regions, and a lamb draped over his shoulder. Wings unfurled as he too was looking down, his pedestal was that looked like one of the rings from a circus. _Heavyarms, Guardian of Spirit_.

"Of course. It was part of my studies in college. Do you want to see Heero's, or would you rather talk?"

"Both. But I don't know what to talk about. It's been ten years, Wufei. You've grown up, and so have I. We shall need to get to know each other again, ne? And you should have to explain why you never remarried."

"I've never done a lot of things." Wufei said wistfully. "You'd be surprised just what I've never done."

Duo laughed, "Yeah. A merry widower like yourself, women falling all over you, men too for that matter, not like you noticed either. But that was all during the war, and you are so much more handsome now, you can't tell me there is a lot you haven't done. I met Ryo, you know."

Wufei smiled, "Ryo is still a virgin. He's such a newbie. Still isn't sure if he's gay or straight." He winked. "Not that I ever tried to get with him. It would be too weird. Like trying to get with your brother."

"Oh, you noticed that too. What is he mixed with?" Duo asked, looking at Heero's statue on the screen, _Wing, Deliverer of Vengeance_. Naked except for the belt his scabbard was tied to, sword drawn and raised proudly to the heavens in one hand, a shield of valor on the other arm, resting at his side. His feet were apart, giving him a very domineering stance. Rather than casting his look down, Heero's statue was looking straight ahead, as if staring into the viewer's soul. And Duo remembered that look well. "Damn! Lu is a good artist." he said under his breath, hoping no one heard him.

"I see you approve of his statue at least, but stop drooling, you'll cause a scene." Wufei mock-chided, and suddenly Duo was aware of a sudden tightness to his pants. Wufei quickly closed the file, making his face fill the screen.

"Not fair, 'Fei. I didn't get to see yours."

"Oh, well, you aren't missing anything." Wufei began typing on his keyboard while Duo used the touch pad on the laptop to open the documents folder and briefcase folder to hopefully access the file before Wufei deleted it. It was in the briefcase and Duo quickly copied it to the documents folder, putting a password on it so the Chinese man would have to work at deleting it. "Damnit, Duo! Why do you have to be like that?!"

"You got to see them all, I want to too. It's only fair after all." Duo blew him a kiss before loading the file, _Nataku, Warrior of Justice_. He stood legs spread as wide as he could go and still have a firm stance. Most of his weight, if it were him, was on the back foot, his front arm, which was on the same side as his front leg, was fully extended palm down, level with his shoulder and hovering above his knee. His other hand held a single edged tai chi sword, parallel to the ground and held close to his chest, elbow out. His hair was loose and captured as if the wind was blowing it up and back. He too was looking straight into the viewer's soul. His was a hungry look, and his wings looked blown in the same direction of his hair, as was his manhood. "Where did Lu get her information on our appearance. I mean, 'Fei, do you really look like that?"

Wufei couldn't help but laugh. "Remember when Sal sent us those release documents, the ones that said she could release our full body scans to Imzhang Corp? Well that was me, and I commissioned Lu to create them."

"You're Imzhang Corp?" Duo blinked, looking away from the statue to the man it had been fashioned after. "Where did you get the money?"

"It was part of my wife's legacy, and some came from the war, saved from working with the Preventers, and some from Oz itself. I figured it would be best to use it to help remove the affects of the war, though not entirely."

Duo licked his lips returning his eyes to the statue. "So these statues are from our medical scans."_ Damn! I'm just going to have to see how accurate the statue is to the real Warrior of Justice._

"Excuse me, Sir. Can I get you anything?" the stewardess said, startling both men. Wufei turned red, trying in vain to remotely close the open file while Duo quickly pulled the complimentary pillow from the seat next to him on his lap.

"Just a soda." Duo managed to say.

The stewardess began giggling, seeing the image on the screen. "Your boyfriend is quite a looker."

Wufei cleared his throat. "He's not my boyfriend. We're just friends." Duo protested, closing the open file so Wufei's face would fill the screen.

"I didn't mean to offend." she said, handing Duo his drink. "And sir, it is quite a work of art." She looked back to Duo "If you need anything else. Anything at all. Don't hesitate to ask."

Duo winked at her, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Wufei stifled a laugh, waiting til she was safely away before commenting. "You're such a flirt. You ever think of telling these girls that fall all over you that you don't like girls?"

"Have you ever thought of telling the men that fall all over you that you don't like boys?" Duo said, with an accusatorial glare.

"I never said I was straight. And I never said I was gay." Wufei protested.

"So which is it?" Duo asked.

"I haven't had a chance to decide. Since Meilan died, there was the war and now this reconstruction project, I haven't had a chance to find someone for me." Wufei said, looking defiantly into Duo's eyes. _Though I do have someone in mind._

The shuttle landed and Wufei had left his office, from where he had been talking to Duo, a few minutes before its scheduled arrival so he could be waiting at the terminal for him. When they had last seen each other they had been about the same height, Duo was 5'4" and he had been 5'2", but he realized that it must have changed, especially since he now stood at the regal height of 5'11" he had no idea how much the American might have grown. He smiled when he saw Duo, almost a full head above the rest of the people who disembarked. He had to be at least 6 feet tall.

Duo saw Wufei standing opposite door where the shuttle had been docked, leaning on a pillar, watching the movements from the shuttle. His eyes widened as he saw a man in a business suit, probably a native to the colony, stop and had to literally look up to talk to the Chinese man. Few words were spoken and he saw the man hastily retreat as Wufei now searched the crowd for him again, their eyes met, and he gave him the look that the statue of the warrior of justice would give the world. Duo could feel his knees try to buckle just from the look, and tried to gently push his way past the colonists who were returning home to meet his Dragon.

Wufei was surprised when Duo emerged from the sea of people leaving the shuttle and ran directly for him, wrapping him up in one of those hugs that he had always given him during the war. The Chinese man had to admit to himself that it was these exuberant signs of affection that he missed most about the American. Duo could always find some way of making him feel cared for, less alone. Wufei leaned into the hug, holding onto him as if he were life itself rather than _Death Incarnate_, as the self titled Shinigami would call himself.

"Damn 'Fei, you got sexy." Duo said, loosening the hug so he could look into Wufei's eyes, which were almost at his eye level. He playfully kissed his Chinese captive on the cheek, then on the sensitive spot on his neck between his ear and shoulder, before tightening his grip again. "I think I'll have to keep you for myself."

Wufei indignantly sputtered, trying not to melt into the embrace. He knew the American would usually utter such nonsensical phrases when they returned from missions where one of them might have died. _So why did it feel different now? _"Duo, did you check any bags?"

"Nope. All I have is my laptop and this one satchel. I had Dee and Ryo take the rest back to my apartment. Heero had Quatre pack for me, so you know how much luggage he filled. It's not like I'm moving here, and even if I were, you know that I don't really need that much. Whatever I missed packing we can get from one of the stores here. Help the economy." Duo ended the hug, keeping his left arm about Wufei's waist, tucking his hand into Wufei's left back pocket. He felt Wufei's right arm do the same as his right hand disappeared into his right back pocket, as the Chinese man's head rested on his shoulder and together they walked out of the shuttleport. _And you wonder why everyone thinks we're a couple._

Coming out on the street, Duo remembered why he liked the colony side of shuttleports better than the ones on Earth. Since the docking and unloading usually took place just inside the outer walls of the colony, the facade shown on the inside of the colony looked more like a storefront than the acres of wasted space that you found on Earth.

"My apartment is just a couple of blocks away. Do you want to walk or ride?" Wufei asked, not moving his head from Duo's shoulder.

Duo blinked at the artificial light of the colony. The sun was just setting in New York but here it looked as if the colony was barely waking. "Let's walk, please. If you are sure its safe."

"It is. I walk everywhere, for the most part. The people here respect what I've done to improve their homes, and their quality of life." He sighed contentedly. "I've missed you, Duo. I don't think I've realized how much until just now. I've had no one to talk to, not that cared. I wanted to contact you sooner, but I wasn't sure how you would feel about me interrupting your life with Heero. I didn't know about your breakup until Ryo sent me the announcement in the paper about Relena's upcoming nuptials. I wanted to kill him for breaking your heart after Trowa and Iria told me what happened. I didn't understand how he could do that to you. I know I never could. I lo..." Wufei stopped his words. _I can't say, "I love you, Duo. I've waited all these years for you to be free so that we could be together. I've been with no one else because I was saving myself for you."_

Duo's eyes widened at Wufei's confession. "You saved yourself for me?!"

Wufei blinked, jerking his head up from Duo's shoulder, he withdrew his hand from Duo's pocket and tried to pull away. "I said that?"

Duo stopped, a little confused. "Yeah... right after you said you loved me and were just waiting for me to be free." He saw the horror cross the Chinese man's face and realized immediately that he had said too much. "But then again we've been up all night so it was probably just fatigue talking. I won't hold you to it... unless you want me to." He pulled the Chinese man back into his arms. "Come on 'Fei. We were so relaxed before. I'm tired now, so we can talk when I wake up. Take me home."

Wufei settled back into Duo's embrace. "Alright, Maxwell. Let's go home."

They entered Wufei's 5th level apartment still linked together. It was obvious that Wufei was expecting Duo to not take the extra luggage that Quatre packed, since the exact luggage was sitting in the guest room Wufei escorted Duo to. "I had Ryo send it on an earlier flight."

"So what's in my apartment?" Duo asked.

"Movers loading the rest of it under Hilde's supervision. She's kicking you out of the apartment. She has new lodgers moving in." Wufei smiled. "Ryo and Dee need a place together, that's closer to the precinct, and Dee is taking ownership next week."

"So where am I going to live? Or did you think that I was going to jump into your bed on sight?" Duo said, playful tone in his voice, trying to cover his annoyance. He loved his apartment. Sure he hadn't slept in the bedroom since Heero left, and he couldn't walk around the silent house without hearing the clack of Heero's laptop keys.

"No. You'll be moving into Dee's old place in Hilde's building. That way she doesn't have to drive all the way across town to refill your kitchen." Wufei disentangled himself from the American ex-pilot. "I've just got one question. Why didn't you have the blood in your bedroom cleaned up? Where did you sleep for the past four years?"

"To tell you the truth, I usually watch TV until I pass out. I haven't been in the room in the past four years. Luckily my clothes were all kept in a hall closet. I just really miss that sword you gave me before we all parted ways. Quatre took it since that's what I used to slit my wrists. I couldn't see using something you gave me to rip out my heart, everyone would blame you for my death. At least slitting my wrist, everyone would know that it was my fault." Duo felt a little self-conscious as Wufei took both hands by the wrists and turned them up to face him. Owing to the sharpness of the sword, and the skill of Quatre's thermo-fuser, the scarring was kept to a minimum, even though the skin in that area was now more sensitive to touch. He visibly shuddered as Wufei absently ran his thumbs over the area. "Uhh Wufei, I need some sleep."

Wufei looked up from the wrists he held to twin purple orbs, wide in shock. Self-consciously, he released the wrists he held, putting his hands behind his back and tucking them into his own back pockets, keeping them secure from touching the American. "Sure. Get some rest. I'll have something to eat waiting for you when you wake up."

"Thanks." Duo said, moving towards the bed as Wufei retreated from the bedroom to the sanctuary of his own room.

Duo awoke to the rumbling in his stomach, as it protested, making him realize that the last time he had anything was the soda on the shuttle and before that the coffee with Heero. Breakfast had been his last meal, and looking at his watch, which read 0600, still on New York time, it had been almost a full day since he'd had anything to eat. Raising the darkening shades he had lowered before climbing into bed, he could see the glow of the city at night, which resembled his beloved Big Apple so much, he almost felt like the events of the day before had been a dream were it not for the Asian style of the decor of the room. Not typical Wufei, he knew that this was the hallmark of an interior designer who was trying to make sure that any guest staying here would think that Wufei had totally clung to his Chinese heritage mixed with typical American flamboyance. Going into the en suite bathroom, he freshened up his appearance, changing into the outfit he had thought to pack, the one that resembled the one he hadn't worn since the war. Donning the black priest shirt, jodhpurs, and slipping on the silver cross that had been his legacy since birth, and slipping on the house slippers that Wufei had placed just inside the door, since it was apparent the Chinese man had taken all his shoes out of the bedroom and had probably placed them in on a special shelf by the door, he walked out of the bedroom into the dimly lit hall.

He had slept a full twelve hours, his body finally getting some of the sleep it had been deprived of for the past four years. Looking at the clock in the hall, which glowed like the full moon that the colonists never saw in their night sky, it read 2245, and he frowned. "Wufei?" he said, quietly, barely above a whisper, as to not awaken the Chinese man if he had gone to sleep waiting.

"I'm in the kitchen." Wufei's deep melodic voice said, beckoning him down the hall, where he could now see light spilling in from an open archway.

Taking quick steps down the hall, he made his way to the area where the light was coming from, the smell of hot food wafting to his nose, making his mouth water. Entering the kitchen, he saw the Chinese man standing at the stove, clad in faded blue jeans that clung to him like a second skin, and a white button up shirt that was thrown loosely on, not even buttoned over the white tank he wore underneath. Over it all was a red and white gingham apron which, while bringing the loose shirt tight over his butt, hid that part of him that the angel had displayed in full glory. "Damn! Wufei, I don't know whether or not to eat the food or you." Duo said, playful jester's mask in place. The only way he had been able to stay aloof during the war, and he decided it would be best for now, especially since he came to L2 to see the colony, not for a quick fuck.

Wufei turned to look at the American, smiling as he saw the familiar costume, recognizing it for what it was, a protective cloak to hide himself in. "Well, I do have some whipped cream in the fridge." He gave his guest a suggestive smile. "But if I know you, your stomach would rather you eat the food."

Duo smiled, "You're probably right. I haven't eaten anything in 24 hours, and you know how I can be." He began to pile food up on a plate that Wufei had already set out for him.

"Save room on the plate for the omelette." Wufei folded the omelet over twice before placing it on the plate that Duo extended towards him so that it would be easier for him.

"Thanks." Duo said as he moved towards the kitchen table. Smelling the food, a combination of breakfast to dinner entrees, he whistled appreciatively as he looked under the lid of all the items he had yet to serve for himself, having only taken from the dishes Wufei still had on the stove. "Man, were you burning off nervous energy or what? I swear you've enough here to feed an army."

"I've only enough there to feed a Duo, with enough left over maybe to feed myself and Lien." Wufei took a plate down from the cabinet to sit at the table and eat.

"Who's LeeAnn?" Duo asked, pausing only for a moment to get the question out.

"L. I. E. N. Li-en. Lien is asleep right now, you'll meet her after school tomorrow. She can't be up at all hours, she's just a little girl, and my nearest surviving relative. My wife's sister, Long Lien, she was just a baby when I left the colony, and fortunately was sent to live with a peasant family on Earth, which is why she wasn't killed when Nataku's grandmother destroyed the colony."

"So, you're little sister lives with you?" Duo asked, batting his eyelashes at his host, who began blushing furiously.

"Yes. My dead wife's eleven-year-old little sister is under my guardianship. She has a semi-normal life. She gets up every morning at 0430, after Tai Chi and breakfast, she gets ready and is at school by 0630, then she's back by 1700. Yesterday she spent the night with a friend. Tonight she's here, in her room. If you wake up in time, you can meet her in the morning. Otherwise you'll have to wait til after school."

"Legal guardian?" Duo asked, leering at Wufei, suggestively.

"Duo, get your mind, as you say, out of the gutter. She's my little sister. She's like a daughter to me." He had begun to angrily slap food on his plate.

"Well it's no wonder you're not having wild monkey sex with anyone who bats their eyes at you. You have a live in chaperone."

Wufei slammed down the plate he had been filling onto the table in frustration and annoyance, making the whole table shake as he did. "For your information, with the exception of my wedding day... no, not even on my wedding day, I've never been kissed, let alone gone any further than that. Mei and I were too young, too headstrong, we never consummated the union. And then, with the war and such, I never had the time to want sex, never mind figure out who I wanted it from.

"I've been living like an eunuch for so long,... let's just drop it okay? One more word about my sex life, or lack thereof, tonight and I'll go..." Duo had done it. He had infuriated him so much, gotten under his skin, he had almost gone back to his mantra from the war. The clothes, the smile, and even the jibes that frustrated him so much, they made him want something he shouldn't. Back then it had been so hard sometimes, even meditation didn't loosen the tightness in his loins, but today he had no retreat, Nataku was gone.

"You gonna worship Nataku?" Duo said playfully. "Don't worry, 'Fei. No more talk of sex tonight. It is much more fun to do."

"What's more fun to do?" The little girl's voice intruded on their argument.

Both men guiltily turned to the open doorway to see the little girl standing there, wearing a deep blue cheongsam like a robe over her powder blue pajamas, with house slippers that matched the material of her dress. Her long, jet black hair was done in twin braids that came down her front, stopping just above her bellybutton.

"Lien, this is that baka American I told you about." Wufei said, getting up to get her a plate from the cupboard.

She carefully appraised him as she approached the table. "You're dressed like Father Stuart. Are you a priest as well?"

Wufei laughed as her question left Duo speechless. "I can see it now. Father Duo Maxwell. The only priest who's mouth can make even the most hardened sailor blush." He sat the empty plate down in front of her as she climbed into the empty seat next to Duo and across from Wufei.

Duo threw a grape at Wufei for his insolence. "Nah, I'm just plain ol' Duo Maxwell, former salvager and current student at NYU. You can call me Duo."

Her sloe eyes lit up behind the thin, wire rimmed glasses she wore for reading, obviously she had been doing just that rather than sleeping, just like Wufei used to do. "The Maxwell Church Demon. We read about you in today's history class. Is it true that you got in Shinigami and used it to exact vengeance on those who caused the destruction of Maxwell Church?"

Duo blushed as he nodded. "Yes. I even shot at our Queen of the World a couple of times, but Heero just kept getting in the way."

The little girl giggled as she removed her glasses so she could see to serve herself up a plate. "I told Meghan it was true."

They ate in silence, Lien watched as each man stole glances at the other when they thought the other wasn't looking. She almost broke into laughter whenever they happened to look at the same time and one or the other would make a lame excuse for looking. The salt was passed between them about fifteen times before she got frustrated and got up from the table. "Just go do it however men do it together. I'm too tired to play chaperone tonight. I'll play my music up so I won't hear a thing." She pushed away from the table. "And don't worry about the dishes, I'll get them in the morning."

The two men just sat there, open-mouthed, and watched as she retreated to her room.

"If Meilan was like that, it's no wonder you were never intimate. Do you want my help with the dishes." Duo recovered first and rose from the table, dish in hand. His appetite had inexplicably vanished, though he felt another hunger rising in his pants.

"No, I'll get them. You go to bed and I'll take you sightseeing tomorrow." And Wufei began stacking containers on the table so they could be put in the refrigerator. Neither man looked at the other. Neither saw the look of hunger present on their faces. Neither was willing to break a friendship that was barely being renewed for a casual fuck.

----end Chapter One----

1 Detectives Dee Laytner and Randy "Ryo" Maclean appear in _FAKE_ a 7 part manga by Matoh Sanami. It also appeared in BeBoy and an OAV by the same name. Manga available in English, released by TokyoPop.

2 Biblical Reference: Isa 6:2 Above it (the throne of God) stood the seraphims: each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. _It is generally accepted that the two wings that are described as covering the feet do in fact cover the private area._

_Original Date Posted: April 11, 2005_

_**disclaimer:**__ I do not own the GW characters, or any other commercially released thing mentioned in the contents therein. I do however own the personas of the characters contained within, and any resemblances to any other author's characters (of the same name or real life persons for that matter) is purely coincidental and is not done with that intent in mind._


	2. Chapter 2

Duo awoke the next morning to the sounds of singing outside his room. Opening the door, he startled the Hispanic woman who was in the hall, dusting the bric-a-brac on the tables against the walls. "Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Chang had to go to the office, but he said he'd be back soon. Miss Long left you a plate in the oven. They haven't been gone long."

"How long is not long?" Duo asked, for once glad that he had taken the time to get dressed before emerging from his room.

"Maybe five minutes. Mr. Chang walks her to the Maxwell Church school, then he goes to his office." She said, looking him over. "You know where that is, right?"

Now he remembered why he liked wearing the priest outfit, only the most brazen woman would hit on a priest, most just treated him like a brother. "I could kiss you, but instead you can have my breakfast." He ran towards the door and slipped on his boots, tying them as he slid down the stairs.

Emerging on the street, it only took him a moment to get his bearings. Though everything was new, the names of places had not changed, and these were the streets he grew up on. Wufei and Lien only had a five minute head start, if the woman he assumed the housekeeper was correct, and since Wufei was taller than the people who never left the colony, owing to the greater gravity of the place that made all its inhabitants short, it was quite easy for him to find the two, and without announcing his presence, he wrapped himself around Wufei, causing Lien to laugh as Wufei sputtered.

"Duo! What are you trying to do, get killed?" Wufei asked, putting away the gun he had pulled out of its shoulder holster.

"Duo, will you come and tell my friend Meghan the story?" Lien asked, pulling Duo away from Wufei. She was obviously up to being chaperone now.

Duo looked to Wufei for help, and the girl now took hold of his braid, knowing from the stories that her brother had told her it was his prized possession. He eeped, realizing now there was no escape, not unless he could pry those five fingers off his tail. She really wasn't playing fair.

Wufei laughed, "Why don't you take him and let him tell the whole class. That way he has something to do while I'm in conference with Father Stuart."

"Some rescuer." Duo muttered under his breath, feeling the little girl lean against his side. He looked down to her to see she was looking up at him with liquid pools of licorice, her lower lip quivering as she bit it.

"You don't like me?" She asked, on the verge of tears. She had wrapped her arms around his waist, and was about to make an awful scene.

"Don't cry. I like you. I ran here to see you off to school, didn't I?" He tried to pry her stranglehold off of him. "I don't mind telling anyone you want me to about the legend of the Maxwell Demon, I just don't like people messing with my braid."

She let go, looking up at him now with bright eyes that showed no signs of ever being about to cry. She grabbed his hand, letting the rest of him go and began to pull him into a faster pace to school. "Great! I'm sure Mr. Cooke won't mind a guest speaker during first period today."

He looked over his shoulder as he was lead away. Wufei was smiling. "She got you good, Duo." And he ran to catch up with his sister and best friend.

"Now I wish I had taken the time to eat breakfast," Duo muttered as they made their way down the street.

Wufei emerged from the school's finance office to see Duo and Lien sitting on the bench next to the principal's office, at the end of the hall. Getting closer, he could see they were wearing signs around their neck. Duo's read, I will not challenge the teacher. Lien's read, I will control my temper. He shook his head and walked past them into Fr. Stuart's office, where he found Mr. Cooke yelling in frustration.

"Ah, Mr. Chang. Could you please come in and give me your take on Mr. Cooke's situation." Fr. Stuart said, relief apparent on his face.

"That man is a bad influence on children. You know he was telling them that Operation Meteor was a bad idea." Mr. Cooke started, but went on no further as Wufei's hand went up to silence him.

"The original plan of Operation Meteor was a bad one. The concept was to drop a rather large object, like a colony, to earth, using the chaos ensued by it to cover up an invasion by Oz troops. If the Gundams hadn't been stolen, they too would have been used to prove that the colonists were a threat to the Earth Sphere, and martial law would now be prevalent throughout the colonies as well as Earth. Please, Mr. Cooke, explain to me how any of that is a good thing?" Wufei's defiant look silenced the man, who shook his head.

"Now why is Lien out there as well?" Wufei asked the defeated man.

"She was inciting a riot at Mr. Maxwell's words. As he and I debated the points of Operation Meteor, she got up and ran towards the front of the class, pointing this at me, calling me, well the other children said it roughly translated as a closed-minded baboon." He extended the now closed, mother of pearl handled, butterfly knife. "She said my mind was as big as those people who killed her family."

Wufei took the knife, pocketing it in his jacket pocket, while at the same time giving Mr. Cooke a brief view of the shoulder holster he wore. "Considering she became an orphan during the planning of the first attempt of Operation Meteor and lost the rest of her family during the second attempt. If you truly support its concept, I can understand her negative feelings to you. But I'm not excusing her behavior. She has been told repeatedly that you do not draw a weapon unless to defend yourself, so you, Fr. Stuart, have my leave to discipline her. I'll take Duo away now, and you, Mr. Cooke, will explain the true meaning of Operation Meteor and why the Gundam rebels had to stop it from happening."

Wufei entered the hall, "Fr. Stuart will see you now, Lien." He pulled the knife out of his pocket. "You'll get this back later."

She got up and bowed, going into the office.

Duo whistled when he saw the closed knife. "I thought she was just threatening him with a pen. May I?" He extended his hand out towards the knife.

"Careful, it's laser-edged Gundanium." Wufei said as Duo opened the knife. "A true lady's knife. Unfortunately, I think the Long clan is running true in her."

Duo nodded, "She is most definitely sure of herself. And very volatile. I can see now why you and Mei never really got together. You both were very headstrong people."

"Funny. It wasn't until she died that I realized she was probably the only woman in the world I could have spent the rest of my life with." And for the first time in his life, Wufei began to cry, to mourn her loss.

Duo pulled Wufei into his arms, allowing the stoic Chinese man a chance to cry, just cry, with no sarcasm in his actions this time. They had made it into the stairwell, and were alone so he allowed Wufei to cry as long as he needed to, telling his body to ignore the feelings Wufei's movements were stirring.

Wufei pulled away once his tears subsided, looking into the eyes of his comforter. Duo smiled back with compassion, placing a kiss on Wufei's forehead. "You'll protect her sister the way you were unable to protect her."

Wufei allowed Duo to pull him closer for a hug, but then it was Duo pulling away as he heard voices in the stairwell coming up to them. Wufei stood there, shocked look on his face as he felt Duo's absence as the American stood a distance away, looking at the nuns who were climbing the stairs.

"Duo? I'd recognize that braid anywhere. It does a woman's heart good to see you here. Too bad Sister Helen isn't here to see the fine man you grew up to be." One of the two nuns said, running up the rest of the flight of stairs to embrace him.

The other one held back, now seemingly becoming aware of the burn scars on her face. She bowed her head in order to hide her face in the fabric of her cowl. "Um... Hi... Duo." She was quite shy now, the total opposite of the boisterous girl Wufei had grown to know over the past few years.

"Kathryn?" Duo said, looking into the green eyes of the woman who was hugging him.

"That's Sister Kathryn to you, Mister. And what's with the suit? I thought you only believed in the God of Death."

"Nah. This is just my way of remembering Father Maxwell and Sister Helen." He let her go, turning to look at the other woman. "Come over here, Corrin, and give me a hug."

"Duo... I..." She turned away, seeking refuge behind Wufei.

"She gave up on your marriage proposal a long time ago," Katherin said, laughter apparent in her voice. "Not that you were serious anyway. She joined the convent after the fire. I guess she knew you were only kidding, especially after the way you left."

"No! It's not that! I knew you wouldn't want a monster for your wife." Corrin said, still hiding her face in Wufei's back. "Now I can't marry."

Wufei looked puzzled, so Sister Kathryn decided to offer some explanation. "I'm sorry, Mr. Chang. We've never told you our story. Back when we were all part of Solo's gang, I was his girl and Corry was Duo's, not really, I mean, we were just kids. Then when Solo died, Duo promised he'd take care of us like family, and said he'd make Corrin his wife so she could be mother to us all, especially the little kids we kept rescuing. But that was when Father Maxwell took us all in. You should have seen her back then. She was beautiful, like a model or something, with blonde hair and blue eyes. So full of joy and laughter all the time, she and Duo kept us all going through the hard times."

Duo sighed. "We were just kids then. We're all grown up now. Corry, you should have a family of your own. Any straight man would be lucky to have you."

Corrin's sad voice drew their attention. "You don't understand. Duo, when you left to steal that mobile suit for them, Kathryn gathered the kids. She took everyone out. I stayed behind, I had to distract them while she escaped. I should have died in the fire; no one should survive what I've suffered, what I saw, what they did to me. I should have died." She put a gloved hand on the back of her head, grabbing at the fabric of her cowl. "No one should have to see this every morning." She ripped the cloth off her head, coming out from behind Wufei. Patches of blonde hair grew among the mostly scarred surface of her head. She had one ear, and on the same side was half of an almost perfect face, with bright blue eyes looking back at him.

Duo looked on the verge of tears and she quickly replaced the material that hid her scars. "My Corrin, how did you survive? When I came back, I thought everyone was dead."

"The Paramedics came when the fire suppression system was activated. Sister Helen was lucky, they killed her. However they left me to live, to forever have the memory of what they did to me. They wanted me to suffer." She again bowed her head, burrowing the scars in Wufei's shoulder.

Wufei put his arm around the nun at his side. His heart had gone out to her when they had first met, but now, hearing her story made him want even more to do something for her. He looked over to Duo, who also had the same look of determination on his face and he knew the American would want to discuss it after the women left, if only so that she wouldn't have false hope that something could be done.

Off in the distance, a bell chimed causing both nuns to look at their watches. "Sorry to cut our reunion so short, Duo, but Kat and I have to help prepare lunch." The quiet nun said, and putting on a happy smile, she wormed her way out of Wufei's embrace, whistling as she skipped out of the stairwell, leaving Kathryn to follow.

"To tell the truth, she's never really let any of us take notice of her scars since I've been here." Wufei said as they watched the two nuns retreat. they seemed a bit happier than they had been during the brief encounter with their former brother.

Wufei looked at Duo, who shrugged before quickly recovering to his cheerful demeanor. "Why don't you let me show you my L2 and I'll see what you did to improve things for my people."

Wufei nodded, "But first I think we should stop for a bite to eat. I'm sure you didn't have anything for breakfast, and mine was rather a long time ago."

"Alright. Where do you suggest?" Duo asked, burrowing his hands deep in his own pockets.

"Well, Lu makes a wonderful breakfast. We should go home, that way I can change out of this stuffy outfit. I always wear business suits to walk around. Today I'd like to be a tourist." Wufei flashed a self assured smile, clasping his hands behind his back, and together they walked out the door.

Lu greeted them at the door, "I thought you'd be hungry, seeing as neither of you truly ate much of anything, so I've prepared brunch."

Duo sniffed the air as he took off his boots, it was definitely rich with the smell of food. His stomach protested its abuse making both Lu and Wufei laugh. "Go get this man fed. I've got to change and make a quick phone call to the office, let them know I won't be in again today."

Duo looked puzzled as Lu offered her arm to escort him away. He looked from the Chinese man to the Hispanic woman who he had thought to be the housekeeper before, then back to the man. "You haven't been to the office yet? I thought... well, where did you go this morning?" Duo asked.

"Ah, well Fr. Stuart was having a little problems with the new accountant he had hired, and subsequently fired, so he asked that I look over the books the new girl he hired had drawn up. To tell you the truth I think he was trying to set me up with her." Lu laughed at his words, knowing from her own vain attempts to get with him that it would be impossible for this new girl to get under his skin. Not the way she was sure that the man next to her had.

The uncomfortable silence that took over after her laughter subsided was unbearable. Neither man could look at the other and though everyone knew the reason why, no one was ready to admit it.

"Come on, then. Let's get you a bite to eat." Lu said, pulling Duo away from the foyer to the back of the apartment, where they had dinner the night before.

Wufei entered the kitchen wearing faded jeans and a royal blue shirt, so blue it was almost indigo or violet as the light reflected off of the lightweight silk dress shirt. Untucked and loose, the fabric seemed to glide over his body, the long sleeves had been rolled up twice at the cuff to give the appearance of being three quarter length sleeves, and the neck had been left open to the second button, revealing that he wore nothing underneath. He had brushed out his hair, gathering it back up in a loose ponytail, that afforded his long fringe to fall forward and frame his face, softening his appearance yet not detracting from his masculinity, but increasing it in such away that both Duo and Lu sighed dreamily as they watched him gather a plate of food.

Wufei tried to ignore the eyes he felt devour him as he made his plate from the dishes on the stove. He knew better than to be embarrassed by any of it. He was used to Lu's appraisal, as well as looks from other men and women alike as he walked down the street, but found he was growing ever more self conscious about Duo looking at him that way. He cleared his throat, bringing them both back into the room. "So has Lu told you her ideas for the sculptures yet?" He asked, turning to fully face the two sitting at the table.

"Oh! You're that Lu!" Duo's eyes went wide in amazement. "Now I feel so exposed. It's like you've seen me, well all of us, naked."

The Hispanic woman almost choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken, a blush rising to her face. "I assure you, it was purely professional, almost clinical. Your statue, in particular, was almost the epitome of innocence, even if it was one of three that showed everything. The viewer will be so caught up in what's emoted by the piece, you almost forget you can see your... erm... package."

Now Duo's blush was so deep it made his hair red. He was blushing not only in uncharacteristic modesty about this woman having seen all of him, but also embarrassment for thinking she was just the hired help. "So, if you're an artist, why do you hang out around here?"

"Oh! I forgot I didn't give you a proper introduction. Duo, this is Luciana Perez. Lu is my personal assistant, and she lives here, in the room next to Lien's." Wufei explained, taking his seat across from the two of them. "Perhaps I should give you a tour of the apartment before you give me a tour of the colony."

"No, that's not really necessary. He doesn't have to bother with Lien's side of the apartment, and you showed him the essential parts of your side last night, except maybe your bedroom." Lu gave him a mischievous wink, rising from the table to leave them alone in silence.

Duo was the first to recover, after five minutes had past and Wufei was still just staring at his plate. "Are you going to eat, or should we just get out of here?"

Wufei looked up at him, as if he had forgotten the American was in the room. "I shan't take long. You can go freshen up if you need to, then we'll go."

At noon they found themselves in front of the entrance to a market square, the old man who ran the fruit stand near the entrance looked suspiciously at them, for a moment, and Wufei stopped, causing Duo to stop and survey where they were. "I used to get all kinds of food here." Duo said, pulling Wufei towards the entrance.

"So I can see." Wufei said, gesturing with his head for Duo to look at the man who was following their progress with his eyes.

Duo looked, then blushed, pushing his hands deep into his pockets trying to feel around for his money. He left Wufei's side and went to the vendor, bowing slightly as he spoke. "I want to thank you for not killing us when you hand every reason and opportunity to. Sir, you helped us feed the orphans that horrible war caused, and I know I'll never be able to repay you for all the food we stole in our hunger, but today I'd like to actually pay for my fruit." He picked up an orange from the stand and pressed a folded up bank note in the vendor's hand, before returning to Wufei's side, taking the Chinese man's hand and pulling him out of the market.

The old man opened his hand, unfolding the bank note to see it was worth 100 credits, for a 1 credit orange. He smiled. "Thank you, Maxwell Demon!" he called at their retreating figures.

"What did you give him?" Wufei asked as Duo turned to look over his shoulder and wave at the vendor.

"A c-note. It was the least I could do." A little boy happened to be passing by, so Duo handed him the fruit, making his eyes light up as he ran to catch up with his mother who was waiting so they could cross the street.

"So I take it you stole from him often?" Wufei asked, as they, too, crossed the street.

"Wufei, we had no money. I stole from everyone often." Duo said, blinking back tears as he remembered the rest. "And often times they stole from me too."

Their eyes met, and both instantly blushed, and Wufei knew what he had meant when he said they had stolen from him too. Everyone always seemed to take from Duo the one thing that Wufei didn't even have the courage to ask for himself. They were silent now, as they walked through the streets, Duo making few comments here and there about different things, different places.

At 1700 hrs, they found themselves in front of a restaurant just as Wufei's cellphone rang.

"Miss Perez says she'll stay with me until you get back, so take your time, big brother. It's about time you got a life." Lien said and hung up the phone, not giving Wufei a chance to protest.

He grimaced at his phone, clipping it back to his belt. He looked up at the sign, it was one of those romantic places you would only take a date to. He looked over at Duo, who was just standing there shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You hungry?" he asked.

Duo looked at the couples entering the restaurant and was suddenly uncomfortable. "Shouldn't we be getting back?" Duo asked even as his stomach grumbled loudly in protest.

"Duo, it's late, and Lu has probably already made dinner for her and Lien. Come on, it's just a restaurant. Surely you've gone out with Heero before." Wufei said, extending his hand to the American.

"Actually, with the exception of the occasional mission, he never took me out. He really wanted to keep our relationship a secret." Duo said, taking Wufei's hand. "Are you saying that this is a date?"

Wufei blushed, "If you want it to be."

"Alright." Duo moved closer, putting his arm around Wufei's waist. "We'll finally get to know each other, ne?"

Wufei nodded, settling against him. He realized that this is what he wanted, everything he had done since the war was to try to get Duo to a place he felt safe enough to be himself. Everything he had done was for Duo, but still he was unsure if he could jeopardize their friendship to see what more they could become. Finally he realized why Ryo was so reluctant to get involved with Dee, even though he was so obviously attracted to his partner.

They entered the restaurant and the maitre d smiled at them. "Ah, Mr. Chang. You're secretary called your reservation in. Your table is ready."

Duo raised an eyebrow, and Wufei shook his head. "I think she's got a tracer on me." Wufei whispered as they followed him to the secluded corner he led them to.

"And she has her own ideas of how your life should be." Duo whispered back, noticing the booth, and the chilling wine, all very picturesque and very romantic.

"She also took the liberty of ordering for you, so just relax and we'll take care of everything." he gestured over to the waiter who was standing to the side, who came forward at his gesture. "This is Pierre. He'll be your waiter tonight. If there is anything you need, ask for him."

Pierre smiled, blushed, and finally bowed. "It's an honor, Mr. Chang and Mr. Maxwell. I truly appreciate all you accomplished during and after the war."

Duo smiled. "Thank you. Now if we need you, we'll call." Duo covered Wufei's hand which rested on the table with his own, the gesture enough for the waiter to understand and leave the table.

"Boor." Wufei teased, "He's just a fan. You didn't need to chase him off." He withdrew his hand from the table, resting them both on his lap.

"I thought this was a date. Are you afraid to be alone with me? It's not like we're strangers, or we've never been alone before. Remember that time we were both stuck at the safe house, I had that awful cold and you were hiding out because there was a bounty out on you."

"There was never a bounty. I never left any witnesses. You were sick, I wanted to take care of you since no one else would." Wufei said, staring at the flame of the candle on the table, he couldn't bring himself to look at him.

"But, they really needed Nataku. Remember they almost failed at the mission until the Manguanacs finally showed up." Duo was surprised, and touched, that someone actually cared.

"I knew they would be fine. You were delirious, kept calling me Heero until I finally got your fever to break. Luckily you couldn't move, if you had tried anything in that state, thinking I was that... that thing, I probably would have killed you." Wufei hazarded a glance at the braided man, whose eyes widened even further at that revelation.

"Man, I'm truly sorry. But like you said, I was sick."

"Sick in the head." Wufei nodded. "It seemed like no matter how much shit he put you through you were always willing to take him back."

Duo didn't like the turn of the conversation. "I thought we were going to get to know each other, not argue about a man who is of no consequence to me any longer. I want to know more about who you are now."

Wufei blushed, he didn't want to argue about Heero either, but it still haunted him, he still haunted him, taunting him, mocking him. Even after they talked, Heero had said "I'll lead you to him, but he'll always come back to me. All I have to do is ask." And what scared Wufei the most was that Heero might be right, and would probably do it just to torture him. He sobered his look, such intensity of feeling in his eyes that Duo blinked, as if trying to diffuse the electricity between them. "One last question about Heero, and I'll drop the subject forever."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Alright. But I need a drink for this." Duo poured them each a glass of the wine. "To finally getting you to drop the subject of Heero." He raised his glass and took a drink, Wufei following suit, almost emptying the glass due to nerves.

Unfortunately, getting the butterflies in his stomach drunk only made them fly about more wildly, and he only hoped he wasn't making a mistake by asking the question in the first place. He set the glass down, clearing his throat. "What would you do if Heero came to you, solemn faced, and told you he had made a mistake, his life with Relena has been a lie, and he wanted you back?"

Duo sighed, shaking his head. "That didn't take long. I didn't expect it til at least the second date, or maybe right before I kissed you. But now is perfect, it won't ruin those moments when I want you to be thinking only of me. I wouldn't take him back. I couldn't take him back. If you only knew how long it took me to recover, he cut me to the quick and your strong shoulders, which held so many of my tears during the war, were nowhere to be found. You know, were it not for your shoulder to cry on, I probably wouldn't have taken him back as many times as I did."

"No, you would have died. I remember the first time I found you crying. Tears were plentiful, as was blood. At least you had cut yourself where it would take a long time to bleed to death." Wufei drained his glass and poured another. "I'm glad you're finally over Mr. Perfect Soldier. Now, as promised, I'll drop the subject forever. You are now free to ask anything you want."

"Have you really been living like a eunuch all these years?" Duo asked, smiling as Wufei again emptied his glass and poured another.

"Well, during the war, I didn't want sex to cloud my judgement, for the missions. Believe me, it took a lot of control, and meditation, but I never faltered. During college, celibacy was easy, especially since my roommate was just as celibate, like Sir Galahad the chaste Ryo Maclean was innocent and reserved. Then up here, I've had Lien to worry about, so there was really no time for a physical relationship with anyone."

Duo finally poured his second glass and gestured for Pierre to bring them another bottle. He brought them their first course first, and hastily retreated once he had replaced the empty bottle with a full one. "But you have gone out on dates before, right?"

"Ryo and I would go out occasionally, but it never really went anywhere. I think he got tired of me having to concentrate on calling him Ryo." Wufei blushed, he almost said too much. "Lu and I actually met on a blind date, Sally arranged it. Apparently she met Luciana Perez after the war, she was her adjunct during the Preventer years."

They talked during the rest of the meal, Duo noticing that while Wufei picked a little off of his plate, he almost finished two bottles of wine by himself, of the three they had consumed during the course of the evening. Duo was amazed that after dessert Wufei stood with no problem, and together they walked out of the restaurant, Pierre having called a cab to take them home.

----end Chapter Two----

_Original Date Posted: November 2, 2005_

_**disclaimer:**__ I do not own the GW characters, or any other commercially released thing mentioned in the contents therein. I do however own the personas of the characters contained within, and any resemblances to any other author's characters (of the same name or real life persons for that matter) is purely coincidental and is not done with that intent in mind._


	3. Chapter 3

Wufei awoke to the feeling of someone shaking his arm violently. "Get up! You're ruining my routine."

He opened his eyes, seeing his little sister standing there, dressed in her training gear, a death grip on his hand. He looked at the clock on his bedside table, which read 445, and groaned. His head hurt and her jostling him was making the room spin. "I'm up! I'll be right there. START WITHOUT ME!" He roared, trying to stop her before she made what little dinner he ate come up.

He jerked his hand back, freeing it from her grasp, and she ran from the room. He had never raised is voice to her before, he had also never slept past their morning routine, not after that first week when she imposed it on him.

He sighed and crawled out of bed, dragging on his pants and robe, which she had laid out for him. Muttering, he went to the bathroom, relieving himself and brushing his teeth and hair. He was out on the veranda with her by 0500, where she was doing her katas with a scowl on her face.

She was furious. "You're lazy." She spat, beginning the form again.

"When I was your age, my master didn't start things until 0500. You are just like your sister, always trying to push the envelope."

"I've never been paid a higher compliment. Perhaps you should start calling me Nataku."

Duo was up and sitting with Lu as she fixed breakfast around 0530, in time to see the two dragons bringing their argument indoors.

"There is really no need to start so early when school doesn't even start until 0800." Wufei stated and both were scowling at each other, neither wanting to back down.

"That baka American is making you weak." Lien said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

They were standing in the dining room, not realizing they had an audience for their fight. Wufei didn't understand any of it. This girl was eleven and he was almost twenty-seven, and yet here they were arguing like little kids, the way he and Meilan used to before and during the marriage. "Lien, you need to leave him out of this. Duo has nothing to do with any of it."

"I said call me Nataku!" She stamped her foot. "And yes, he has everything to do with it. He's the reason we're on this godforsaken colony. Have you forgotten about our own, lying in ruins, worse than this one was when we got here? You wasted its legacy, my legacy, here."

"You're not worthy of that name. Nataku would understand what we are doing here. Nataku would see the injustice on this colony and try to defeat it, the way we have. What we did here was not a waste. These people have suffered much throughout the years. Our colony is naught but an empty shell."

"I know. Our people are homeless, suffering in poverty on earth. Let the Americans take care of their own mess. They made it that way long before the war. Admit it, Wufei, you did it all for him."

"I love him. He'll appreciate it. You have your palace in Beijing, the estate in Guiyang, the colony can wait, since it is naught but a tomb right now anyway."

"I have all that, but I'm stuck here with you, living in an apartment down the hall from a woman who has been in love with you forever, and you don't even truly acknowledge her existence. I don't see why she loves you. I know he'll never love you. You did all this, but inside you are still just that coward who was not worthy of Nataku. You are just lazy, and pathetic. So pathetic you let a little girl keep you hostage in your apartment. So pathetic you've never been laid, even though the object you desire is the biggest man slut in the history of mankind."

Duo recognized the look in Wufei's eyes, it was one he had seen cross the Chinese man's face many times during the war, the look of rage. The sparring of words they had been doing was one thing, but this look was the look before Wufei attacked. He got up from his seat at the breakfast bar, crossing the room to stand between the two. "I've heard just about enough, so why don't you both go hit the showers and cool off before we all sit down and have breakfast together like civilized people."

"Gomen, Duo-kun. I did not mean all those mean things I said about you." Lien said, bowing to him before retreating to her side of the apartment.

Wufei was still glaring, the rage begging for release even as he tried to rein it in. He would not have hit the girl, at least he thought he wouldn't. Duo was just standing there, staring him down, meeting his glare with his own, "Wufei, if you need to hit something, take it out on me. I can take you, we're both trained killers. You could have killed her."

The thought of being able to kill Lien was so laughable, it instantly soothed his rage, washing it away with laughter so violent that Wufei had to lean on the chair next to him for support. "She's a Long, Duo. A trained killer. She's been training from the time she could walk. But thank you, for stepping in. I'm sorry that you had to witness such an uncivilized display. I promise you, we aren't regularly like that." He said, as the laughter subsided, and bowing left the room for his own, to shower and get ready for the day.

Duo just shook his head, returning to the breakfast bar. "How often do they do that?"

Lu looked at him, baffled. "I've never seen Wufei like that, or Lien for that matter. I've never seen him raise his voice, let alone his hand, towards her. And she isn't prone to yelling or fighting either, though I've been informed that you saw the hellcat in her yesterday as well, aimed at her teacher. This is out of character for them both. She's always been the light of his eye, and he her most respected sensei."

Duo's eyes widened in shock as his mind began to run through everything. The words of their argument, little seemed to be attacking Wufei, in fact the majority of the argument she had been putting him down. Could it be that she was in love with Wufei? Her actions seemed to be those of a jealous lover, though Wufei had told him nothing was going on with him and his little sister. _But she's not his little sister. She's Nataku's little sister._ His mind so faithfully pointed out. _She's just like Nataku._

He slammed his fist down on the breakfast bar, making all the dishes Lu had set out shake and clatter against the marble counter top. He then shook his head. _Wufei is big on the family thing, she's the only family he's got. He'll always see her as his little sister, and since he even said to her that he loves me, he's not exactly straight either._ He could feel hysterical laughter welling up inside of him. "She's in love with him, so she's jealous that I'm here. He's sexually frustrated, and turning back into that stick in the mud he was during the war while he was denying his body." He said, looking up at Lu who was just staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"She's his sister. She couldn't possibly be in love with him." Lu said, putting the hash browns in one of the bowls she had set out on the bar.

"No, she's his dead wife's sister. Who knows, if Master O were still around he probably would have arranged that once Lien turns thirteen she marry Wufei, the way he and Meilan had." Duo explained, picking at the potatoes in the bowl.

"That's just crazy. He's fifteen years older than her." Lu said, batting his hand away as she put a lid on the bowl, putting it in the safety of the oven, away from his pilfering hands.

"I know, but he's probably the only one alive with the suitable blood line running through his veins." Duo smiled, watching her put the other dishes in their bowls and hiding them in the oven. "He'll never have her though, his sense of honor and duty prevents him from seeing her as anything but his little sister."

"Duo, that's just ridiculous. She didn't behave that way when I first moved in." Lu said, sitting down at the bar next to him while they waited for the dragons to return for breakfast.

"No offence, Miss Perez, but you aren't exactly a threat. You aren't someone who could possibly steal his affection from her, not the way that I could." Duo got up from the bar. "If you will excuse me, I think I'll change into something more appropriate before they get back. This priest outfit is fine, but since no doubt I'll have to drag Wufei to his office, I should dress more appropriately."

Lu was still scowling after he left. "Not a threat. Not capable of stealing his affection. Don't underestimate me, Mr. Maxwell."

"Onna no baka." Lien said, hearing Lu's words as she silently entered the kitchen. "I wish you would just stop trying to get my brother's attention. He's perfectly capable of cooking and cleaning, we managed before you insinuated yourself here. He hired you to be his assistant, not his housekeeper. Have you no pride?"

"I've been living here for three years, and you're coming up with this now?"

"I thought you would have left before now. I like you, Luciana, but you really need to get a life of your own. Go out, move out. You'll still see him at the office every day, but it is time you got on with your life and quit hiding in this made up family. You'll never be his wife." Lien began to take the bowls out of the oven and place them on the table.

"Neither will you, little girl." Lu said, getting up from the bar to leave the room. She went to her own, getting dressed for work, and left the house without bothering to return to the kitchen.

Wufei entered the kitchen, followed closely by Duo, both were wearing business suits, and from the sound of what little Lien could hear, they were discussing the Maxwell Church. "Where's Luciana?" Wufei asked, noticing only three place settings on the table, Lien sitting at one of them waiting for them.

"She left. I think she went to look for an apartment before work." Lien said, as they began to pass the dishes around, serving themselves.

"I didn't know she was thinking of moving out." Wufei said.

"I'm sorry, Wufei. It's probably my fault. I pointed out to her that she didn't really have a chance of becoming your wife." Duo said, and Wufei almost dropped the bowl of eggs in his hands.

"No, Duo. It's not your fault. I asked her to move out." Lien said. "I pointed out that she was a little old to be playing house. I told her that she was just Wufei's assistant, not his wife, and she never would be."

"I hope she doesn't quit because of this mess." Wufei said, putting the bowl down. "Now will someone please pass the salt."

"Good morning, Mr. Chang. I put some reports on your desk that need your personal attention. Miss Perez called and said she'd be in a little later, something about signing papers on her new apartment. And a gentleman by the name of Mr. Winner is waiting for you in your office." A young man said, coming up to Wufei and Duo as they exited the elevator, handing Wufei a black coffee mug full of coffee.

"Thank you, Paul. This is Mr. Maxwell. Could you give him those files I told you to put away until the grim reaper came to take them. You can put him in Randy's old office, so he'll have some privacy." Wufei said, handing Paul his briefcase. "The deed to your house is in here, I already paid the taxes on it for this year. Apologize again to Heather for me, I'm so sorry I missed the wedding." He left the two of them standing at Paul's desk, walking past to the closed door with the name plate that said Chang Wufei, CEO on it.

He went inside and saw Quatre sitting in front of his desk, a long black box on his lap. Quatre turned at the sound of the closing door, his eyes lighting up when he saw the tall Chinese man. "I hoped I had found you. Do you even know how hard it was to find you. Zechs said I was being silly, Duo had only been gone a day, but someone else is living in his apartment. Wufei, Duo is missing."

Wufei smiled, crossing the room to take his place at his desk. "What's in the box, Quatre?"

"Oh! Heero said it was time for me to return the sword to Duo, but since he's missing, I figured I'd return it to you. You gave it to him, you almost killed him with it, you give it back to him when you find him. You know, as hard as it was to find you, it will be ten times harder to find him." Quatre put the black case on the desk.

"It's good to see you, Quatre. How many people know that you're here?" Wufei asked, opening the case.

"Oh! Well, just Zechs, he's waiting at our hotel room, the Drake." Quatre said, averting his eyes from the gleaming blade that lay on a pillow of velvet between them.

Wufei picked up his phone, "Paul, make reservations for two at the same restaurant Lu had you make them at last night, under the name Peacecraft, and call the Drake hotel and arrange for the suite that Miliardo Peacecraft and his guest are staying in be booked for them for the next week, as my guests."

Quatre's eyes widened. "Wufei, we can easily afford that ourselves, but we really should get back so we can find Duo."

"I suppose you already alerted Trowa that he was missing. He'll try to check in with you later. He'll find you missing too, and will then come looking for me, since no doubt you told him you were going to try to find me to let me know about Maxwell." Wufei said, smiling. "It will be good to see him again too, I dare say."

"Wufei, I love the plans for the memorial park." Duo said, running into the office with the black files still in his hands. "Oh, hi Q. Hey! My sword. Thanks, man."

"Duo! We thought you were missing. Did you know that someone else has moved into your apartment?" Quatre asked, as the Chinese and the American both smiled at each other, suppressing their laughter.

"Yes, Detective Laytner and I kinda traded apartments. He lived in Hilde's building, but now I do. Surely Hilde told you when you called her to find me." Duo said, setting the files down and picking up the sword.

"Actually all she said was that you should be home, and if you weren't she didn't know where you were. Even Heero didn't have a clue, though he was very busy when I called, and Relena told me to leave them alone before she ended the call." Quatre blushed, remembering the scene he and Zechs had witnessed when Heero had answered the phone.

"Only Heero would answer the phone mid-coitus." Duo said, laughing.

"Duo no ecchi." Quatre said, rising from his chair. "Thanks for your hospitality, Chang. We'll have to have dinner together, the four of us, tomorrow."

"Hey Q, give Zechs a big sloppy kiss for me." Duo said as Quatre headed for the door.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Until tomorrow, Quatre."

"You can't tell me you read all those reports." Wufei said as Duo took the chair Quatre vacated, the blade of the sword resting on his jacket sleeve as he inspected the blade, looking for traces of blood.

"Nah, just the first one. I wanted to catch Q before he went away. So how long are he and the marquis staying on this fine colony?"

"At least a week. It depends on how long it takes Cathy's clown to follow him." Wufei said, smiling at the thought.

"You swore Dee, Ryo, and Hilde to secrecy, didn't you." Duo said, finally understanding things. "And Relena is to keep Heero occupied, so he doesn't reveal where you are either."

Wufei smiled, "I really just wanted to keep you to myself, let us get to know each other without everyone interfering, but this will be fun too. I missed the commitment ceremony, and the wedding, so why not bring them here, give them a little vacation from their lives. And this is also a good way to make sure that the skills we honed during the war haven't disappeared completely. If you think about it, no one has seen me since I left the Preventers, and yet no one has tried to find me either."

"I thought you didn't want to be found, so I told everyone to leave you alone, though I kept a trace on the obituaries, to make sure you weren't dead." Duo admitted, laying the sword back on its bed, and closing the clamshell case Quatre had bought for it.

Wufei opened the files on his desk, signing them where Paul had indicated and stacking them neatly in another pile, effectively going through them all in about thirty minutes, while Duo scanned the black files he had been given. "You know, Lien likes you as something more than a brother." Duo said, looking at Wufei out of the corner of his eye as he was reading the stack of messages from the previous day.

"Lien was betrothed to my second maternal cousin. He died on the colony, along with the rest. I'll soon have to find someone else to marry her to." Wufei said, not looking up from the yellow pieces of paper in his hand.

"As the only other surviving member of the royal family, wouldn't that be you?" Duo asked, returning his attention to the files in hand.

"I'm sure I can find another of the children that were fostered out when they were born. I have my contacts already looking."

Duo closed the files, he was finished, and egging Wufei on was more fun anyway. "But she loves you. She wants you. She wants to be Nataku for you."

"She's just a child. Childhood crushes go away." Wufei said, setting one message aside and discarding the rest. "Trowa has already tried to contact me. I suspect he'll be here before the end of the day."

Duo picked up the little yellow piece of paper. "The reaper is lost in the field. The prince is worried for the harvest may be late, the reaper forgot his tool. The guard was not at his post when the reaper slipped out. Will follow the prince to find the reaper. Should arrive around 1400 with family in tow." Duo read aloud, laughing that Trowa still felt the need to code the message.

"Paul, call the Drake, reserve another two rooms under the name Barton, make sure they connect, also for a week. Send a limo, actually you can accompany it, to meet the afternoon shuttle from Earth, it should arrive around 1400, and take Trowa Barton and his family to their hotel suites." Wufei told his intern over the phone before returning his attention to Duo.

"All this trouble for little ole me?" Duo asked, getting up from the chair to sit on the desk next to the Chinese man, who just wrapped his arms around Duo's waist, resting his head on the latter's lap. Duo smiled, removing the band that Wufei had tied his hair back with, running his hands through his hair.

"Wufei, have you even been to your colony yet?" Duo asked while massaging Wufei's scalp.

"Would you go with me? We can go right now, before my courage fails me." Wufei said, lifting his head to look into Duo's eyes.

Duo nodded, smoothing Wufei's hair down. Wufei picked up the phone. "Paul, call and have my shuttle ready to take off, immediately. I'll be going to L5 within the hour."

As they neared the colony, Duo sighed. Though most of the outer hull was intact, there was a gaping hole probably at the epicenter of the explosion, where the royal palace had been. Eerily still and serene, they neared the hole, it was to be their entrance point, and as they neared it, Wufei punched in a bit of code into the computer that made a flash around the ship for the briefest moment, before they slipped in, Wufei landing the shuttle on the charred remains of the palace. A field of flowers lay in front of them, a white stone structure stood alone amidst the field of green and white, bringing a tear to Wufei's eyes.

"The atmosphere still works and is stable. Has to be for that field to still be flowering." Duo said, pushing the button that opened the hatch to the cargo hold, where they had thought to bring a Jeep to survey the colony.

As Duo unloaded the Jeep, Wufei walked to the field, laying across the cold marble grave. "Nataku, I have brought your justice, now I will renew your home."

Duo called to him from where he parked the Jeep near the field, not wanting to destroy the flowers. Wufei got up and ran to the jeep, tears still running down his face. "Let's go. I've waited too long to come home. Lien was right, I was afraid to come back."

"We'll bury the dead, and restore this place together." Duo said, turning the Jeep around to go in the opposite direction of the field, toward the dojo, where Wufei spent most of his youth training.

A charge from a thermal weapon streamed past their ears between them, exploding on the roll bar behind them, causing Duo to slam on the brakes. "Shit, Wufei. Don't tell me the colony is equipped with an automated defense system.

"I disabled it before we landed." Wufei said, jumping out of the Jeep, thankful that he had thought to change into the white robes he had always worn before, which signified his right to be here.

Duo had changed too, wearing black pants and a black jacket over a burgundy top, they both looked like they did before, and this felt very much like a mission, especially now that Duo had his thermo-blaster in his hand.

"Identify yourselves, so that I may know who I am killing before you die." A male voice called to them from inside the dojo.

"I am Chang Wufei, and if you have any honor you will come out and challenge us, rather than pick us off like a coward." Wufei said, drawing his sword from where he had stowed it behind the seat. He tied its scabbard around his waist by its belt and drew it, challenging the unseen man to a duel.

A young man dressed in ragged white robes, which were so like Wufei's, only these had char marks and were torn like they had been through a battle, or an explosion. "Chang Dewei." He bowed to the two before readying his sword.

"Dewei?" Duo asked, looking to Wufei for answers and not getting any.

"Chang Dewei died eleven years ago when the colony exploded. There were no survivors. Impossible for you to be him." Wufei said, circling around to bring the duel away from Duo.

"Chang Wufei died eleven years ago, he too was on the colony when it was destroyed. You can not possibly be my brother." Dewei said, moving closer. "I was in the Dojo, The pit beneath the floor opened and I fell inside. It took me a long time to dig my self out of the rubble. I buried the dead, salvaged what food I could find, and practiced, waiting for the day when I would have the opportunity to avenge the death of my family."

"Master Long, she sent me away from the colony in Altron, so that I could, and did, defeat the devils that came and forced her to destroy the colony. The fight is over, brother. We were victorious, and the royal house is gladdened to find another of its lost members." Wufei said, putting the sword in its sheath which he had tied to his waist.

They had a quick exchange in Chinese, of which, all Duo could pick out was Oz, Ron Shirin, and Lien. Duo cleared his throat, trying to get their attention. Now that they had found a survivor, he was anxious to get off of the silent colony, it did indeed feel like a tomb.

"Who's the wairen?" Dewei asked, gesturing towards Duo with his sword.

"He's a friend, an ally. Duo Maxwell of the colony at L2" Wufei said, leading his brother closer to Duo and the jeep. Both were still laughing over whatever had been said in Chinese.

"Duo, this is my little brother, Chang Dewei." Wufei said, putting his arm around Dewei's shoulders.

"Maxwell," Dewei said, bowing deep in respect. "I'm sorry about shooting earlier. I wasn't really aiming for you, just trying to get your attention."

"Please call me Duo. And don't worry, its not a problem and you didn't hit any vital areas of the jeep. I probably would have done the same thing if there were strangers coming near my home. Eleven years is a long time to be alone, though I am surprised salvagers haven't come to harvest the metal from the colony." Duo said, extending his hand for a quick and very firm handshake. Duo was instantly impressed by Dewei's strength, and perseverance. He knew had he been alone and surrounded by death for eleven years he probably would have thrown himself out of the hole, that was just barely protected by a forcefield.

"I wasn't alone. I had holographic tutors and the spirits of the dead to keep me company. I fixed the environmental controls so I could farm. And I had vengeance to look forward to if someone tried to come back to finish the job." Dewei sighed, climbing into the back of the jeep. "Oh but what I wouldn't give for some duck, and some clothes other than my brother's."

Duo now looked at Wufei as he climbed in the jeep too. The clothes Dewei had been wearing were a little too short for his height and his arm length, but Duo had assumed it was because they were the clothes that had belonged to the little kid, then he remembered that Dewei and Wufei had stood together, Dewei was only a couple of inches shorter than Wufei, not a whole foot like other colonists were. "Is there something wrong with the gravitation of the colony?"

Wufei laughed. "We've always had less gravity than the other colonies, the gravitational force is about 8.6, same as Earth. I'm not sure how it's accomplished, but even if I had stayed up here for my growth spurt, I would be the same height I am now." Wufei was again sitting on the passenger side, and Duo turned the jeep around, driving over the rubble of the palace once again to be near the shuttle. "If you hadn't insisted on following the clan's traditions, if you hadn't decided your place was at a monastery, I daresay you could have worn the black of our cousins, but stubbornly you had the only red other than the women. Unfortunately I can not indulge your request any longer to be a chaste monk, you will have to marry to continue the Long-Chang legacy."

Dewei blushed. "Lien is just a baby."

Wufei laughed. "Dewei, that was eleven years ago. You were seven then. You've grown up and so has she. She'll be twelve next month, and of betrothal age next year."

The jeep settled to a halt, and the three disembarked, heading inside the cargo door of the shuttle towards the cockpit. They were going to leave the jeep on the colony, for future trips, and Dewei was trying to work out the Lien thing in his head. "Brother, yours is the duty to continue the clan, and you are unwed, so therefore you must marry her. I know Master O would insist upon it. What would you have done if you hadn't found me?"

"I'm looking for any of the other children who may have been fostered out or escaped. I'm too old for her, and she is under my care. I am her guardian, so it wouldn't be proper. As my brother, it falls to you." Wufei explained and Duo couldn't help but laugh.

"Besides that, your brother is in love with someone else," Duo said. Wufei glared at him, warning him not to say too much.

"So Mr. Family Duty is in love. Can I meet this _girl_ who is preventing you from your duty?" Dewei asked as they secured the cockpit to ready for take off. It had long been rumored in the Dojo that Wufei would never fall for any woman, especially given his feelings for his beautiful wife. He, it was assumed, could show no emotion to anyone, especially a woman, given his dislike of them, so it was very curious that one was keeping him from his duty.

"You already have." Duo muttered under his breath before slipping the helmet on over his head.

Unfortunately, solitude had given Dewei a very sharp sense of hearing. His eyes widened, and it all finally made sense. Wufei was just sitting there, stoic and silent as always, maneuvering the shuttle out of the hole. His helmet obstructing his face, showing Dewei nothing.

Dewei smiled, nodding in understanding. "You're in love with a man."

Wufei nodded, still silent during the discourse.

"You don't seem surprised." Duo said, his smile projecting in his voice even through the comm.

"We were never really sure. He really hates women, or at least he did when we were kids. I remember when I was three, he and Meilan running through the palace, arguing, fighting, with fists and swords. Both of them were separated and taken to the infirmary, and there was so much blood we thought surely one of them had killed the other. He's got a scar from his right shoulder to his left hip on his back from where she attacked him from behind."

Wufei was getting irritated. "I am still in the room. Enough about the past. Duo, I'm trusting you to get him home, changed and ready for dinner, he'll have to wear something of mine until you and he can get to a shop to get him new clothes. There's a Chinese restaurant downtown, which happens to be one of Lien's favorites. We'll meet there for dinner. I have to get her from school, and we are going to be very late."

The other two seemed to sense Wufei's irritation, and so they remained silent for the rest of the trip back to the colony.

"Why not just put me in an orphanage if you are going to forget about me?" Lien asked, talking to him on his cell phone as he had yet to arrive at the school. She had called him from Fr. Stuart's office once all the other students had left and she was still waiting for him to pick her up, since Lu didn't show up either.

"I'm just pulling up to the curb now." Wufei informed her as he parallel parked the car in front of the school's entrance. "I didn't forget about you. As a matter of fact, I was on our colony, seeing how much it we would have to do to make it habitable again." He got out of the car and headed into the building.

"Likely story. You and the baka were probably out partying again," she said, hanging up the phone.

She left the office, waiting to see him in the hall. He came into view and she was overwhelmed by all the inner demons that haunted her for the two hours she waited for him to show up. "I hate you!" she screamed before running up to him and giving him a zealous hug. "And I love you so much I can't stand it."

Shaking his head, Wufei freed himself from her grasp. "Onna no baka," he playfully chided, kissing her on the forehead. "We have a guest tonight for dinner, so we're going out to your favorite restaurant."

"I don't consider Duo our guest. He's your guest, so you can go without me." Lien said, walking ahead of him toward the door.

He hurried to catch up, stopping her progress and making her look at him. "I have indulged you long enough, it is time you learned your place. I am the head of the clan, so until you marry, you are in my care, under my rule. I say we have a guest, to whom you will want to show your more pleasant, docile, and obedient side. Let me tell you this, if you upset him, you and I may be the last of our clan, The Longs will die out, and you will do in one night what the world has been trying to do since they banished the family to the colonies over two hundred years ago. You are meeting your intended tonight. He is Chang Dewei, my brother."

"So how long have you and my brother known each other?" Dewei asked from inside a dressing room stall, where he was trying on an outfit to wear tonight.

"We met during the war. We worked together for a while after the war, but lost touch when he quit to go to college." Duo said, holding up the outfit Dewei had already chosen to him.

It was in the style of Wufei's white one, only done in deep blue. It always amazed Duo that the silk fabric was woven in such away that it was almost totally indestructible and yet it still flowed with all the elegance that only silk had.

"Sounds like my brother, always the scholar." Dewei said.

Duo nodded, then felt foolish since the Chinese man couldn't see him through the door anyway. He put the outfit back on the small rack that held the others Dewei had chosen and turned back to the mirror to survey the new outfit he had decided to purchase while he waited for Dewei to make up his mind.

"So how long have you been lovers?" He asked, standing behind the American in a black suit, looking so much like Wufei did the day he left the Preventers' Headquarters, walking away from everyone he had spent the war fighting alongside.

"We aren't yet." Duo said, pulling his eyes off the young man who stood only inches behind him. He was so close he could feel the heat radiating off of him, hear his breathing, and feel his breath as it brushed past his neck. "I think you should wear that for dinner." Duo said, turning around to find an escape.

"My brother is a fool for not fully claiming you." Dewei said, moving closer.

"And you have been starved for human contact for too long for me to take advantage." Duo said, pushing him away and going out to the main part of the shop, clothes rack in tow, as if using it as a shield for his retreat.

Dewei came out moments later, still wearing the suit and carrying the one he had borrowed from Wufei when they first arrived at the apartment. Duo was already talking to the clerk, so he just went up to them. "Put it on Chang Wufei's account." Duo said to the clerk as she packaged up Wufei's suit for them too. "And have it delivered to his address."

She smiled, "It will be there within the hour."

They nodded and left, heading for the restaurant that was a couple of blocks away from the shop.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Duo." Dewei said while they waited to cross the street.

"I won't tell Wufei. I understand completely, and believe me it is forgotten." Duo said as they walked across.

Lien shifted nervously in her seat. She still wore her school's seifuku and kept looking at the door for the baka and her intended. The waiter set down a glass in front of her, a Shirley Temple that Wufei had ordered for her on a whim, and she absently thanked him, looking only briefly at her guardian, who was on his phone yet again, this time with a man he kept calling Barton. She looked back at the door and blushed as a man entered the restaurant, alone. He was about as tall as Wufei, and looked exactly like him, only younger, and his long hair was braided, swinging as he walked in their direction, she saw it almost touched the ground. She saw he was looking back at her, so she quickly turned away, staring at her Shirley Temple, very nervous, and for the first time in her life she was unsure of herself.

"You and your family enjoy your stay, Trowa. We can get together tomorrow and make a plan to find him, but he's only been gone a day, and not even Duo can get into trouble in that short of a time." Lien heard Wufei say. "Give Iria my love, and please, this trip is on me, consider it a very belated wedding present."

The stranger was coming toward them, and then she saw that Duo was behind him, a purple haired woman on his arm, and they were laughing about whatever they had been talking about.

She looked at Wufei, who smiled, seeing everyone approach. He gestured for their waiter, who appeared just as the three newcomers arrived at their table. "An extra place setting please, our party has finally arrived."

The waiter nodded and left, leaving Wufei a chance for introductions. "Lien, you know Duo, but I'd like you to meet Miss Lucrezia Noin, and Chang Dewei, my brother." Wufei started, gesturing to each one as Lien looked at them both. "May I present Long Lien, my little sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Long. I'm sorry to intrude on your dinner, but my brother contacted me about this guy here, saying he was missing. He asked me to meet him on the colony, but I had to take a later flight than expected, so I was on my way to find a hotel, when I bumped into the very man we were looking for, crossing the street with this young man." Noin explained, taking a seat in the chair that Duo had pulled out for her, next to his chair next to Wufei.

Dewei took his seat, still silent, a bit amused by the girl's curious stare in his direction. "A stare can be considered insolence," he said, laughter in his voice.

She blinked and looked away. "I'm glad that they found you safe and well. I'm sorry it was so late in coming." She reached out to touch his hand that rested on the table. "Welcome back from the grave."

He caught her hand, soft and tender, in his own which was hard and calloused from working the field he planted. "I'm glad to be welcomed by such a sweet girl, and glad you're not a hellion like Meilan was."

Duo had to concentrate hard not to laugh at Dewei's words. "Shall we order?"

"Wufei already ordered, there will be plenty for everyone. I hope no one objects." She was being quite civil, especially now that not only was there the fact that they were entertaining guests, but that Dewei wanted her to be sweet and docile, which she would be for him, the way she had been for Wufei when she had thought he was the last of the line and the only suitable husband for her.

They had a nice evening, chatting about different things since the war, the way their lives had been going, and the project Lady Noin had been working on in regards to the possibility of colonizing the moon. It was agreed that given the late hour, she would be staying with them, as their guest, and as the dessert dishes were being picked up, Wufei felt a sense of accomplishment, and a sense that something major was about to happen, that would right all the things that fell apart once he left his comrades behind.

"Duo, how do you really feel about Miliardo and Quatre's relationship?" Wufei asked, helping Duo separate his large bed into two single beds. Noin had been given Luciana's old room, and Dewei was moved into the room Duo had been using, leaving the two of them to double up, or one of them would have to sleep on the couch.

"It's really none of my business, But I keep remembering the final battle against White Fang. Even while he was outnumbered by the mobile dolls as we roamed the halls of Libra in our Gundams, he kept searching for Quatre, forever worrying about him. I always believed that he would end up with Quatre." Duo slumped on the naked bed. "Then you left the Preventers, and he married Iria while Quatre ran off with Zechs. I guess it shows us that some things aren't meant ot be, like Trowa and Quatre, Zechs and Noin..."

"You and Heero." Wufei finished, closing his eyes against unshed tears. _You and me._

Duo looked up at his host. "Heero and I were never meant to be. It just took me a while to figure it out. Besides, you promised not to speak of him again." Duo crossed his arms in front of his chest, Wufei's question about Quatre's relationship still nagging him. "Why did you ask about Q-man anyway?"

"I just wanted to know if he was truly happy with Miliardo, like he was with Trowa."

"Not by a longshot. They are happy now, but it took them a long while to get there, and they were helped on a bit by Heero deserting them in that twisted menage a trois they had going there right after Iria married Trowa. Their relationship strengthened when they had to lean on each other to get over Heero." Duo laid back against the bed, as if looking to the past was very draining.

"I talked to Trowa today, while you were changing, before we left for the colony. He's got some news of the most joyous and the most tragic kind. Iria is pregnant, at the start of her third trimester." Wufei said, throwing him one of his pillows, the silver of the satin pillowcase reminding him of a missile fired at an enemy target. He closed his eyes, he didn't want to think of war just yet.

Duo caught the pillow, tucking it back behind his head. He looked worried about the news. "I thought she and her sisters couldn't have natural children, like their mother."

"And all they can ever have is daughters, she wanted to give Trowa a son. History, it seems, is truly forever repeating itself. In a way, this may be good for Quatre. It'll give him a chance to see that he was born, not created in a test tube, like he's assumed he had been all his life," Wufei explained before going to the linen closet he had in the room, looking for sheets to fit the new twin sized beds.

Duo came up to him, hugging him from behind. "I could've held you all night. Your virtue is safe with me." He kissed the nape of his neck. "I promised you we'd take things slow, remember?"

"I'm not afraid of you taking my virtue, I'm afraid I may demand you to take it, even though I'm still not quite ready." Wufei said, pulling out two sets of black sheets, trying to ignore the sudden tightness in his groin.

Duo took the top set off of Wufei's hands before Wufei even had a chance to turn around and had effectively made his own bed by the time Wufei willed himself to turn around.

Wufei awoke at 0400 and got up, closing the two foot gap between the two sides of his bed, he went to the bathroom that connected to his room to get ready to meet Lien on the veranda for her routine. Thirty minutes later he was out on the veranda, alone. He went to her room and found she was still asleep in her small bed. Relieved that she was finally taking time to sleep, so he went to his own room, knowing she'd get him once she was ready.

He wasn't in his bed long before he felt Duo's body pressed to his back, holding him, unwittingly stirring his body to life just by his nearness. "I love you, Fei," Duo said in his sleep and it was almost Wufei's undoing. Though somehow he slept.

At 0600 Wufei sat up, alone in his bed. He surveyed his surroundings with his ears, listening for movement. He heard the shower going and knew Duo was there. He could picture the hot water traveling down the American's well toned form, and realized it was a mistake. He quickly changed into clothes he'd wear to the office before he was tempted to join the man in the shower.

He went to Dewei's room, but it was empty, so he went on to cross through the living room to Lien's side of the apartment. Entering her room, she was still fast asleep. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It's 6:15. If you stay abed any longer, you'll miss school." Wufei said and his sloe eyes opened instantly. "Get dressed. Lady Noin is making breakfast."

"Why didn't you wake me before?" she asked, climbing out of bed and scurring around the room to get her things together.

"You needed your sleep, and so did I. I'll see you at the table." He said, leaving her room, heading for the dining room and the veranda, where he suspected he'd find Dewei.

Dewei was leaning on the railing, looking over the colony. "You did all of this, didn't you?" Dewei asked, feeling his brother's presence on the veranda.

"Yes, this colony was inhabited, ours was a tomb. I felt it was better to help them before I was selfish and repaired ours," Wufei said, coming to stand beside him, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders. "I didn't know you were there. I'm so sorry I waited so long."

Dewei nodded. "I understand. From what I've read last night about the war from Lien's history book, this colony was repeatedly involved. I can't imagine what it was like before all of this."

"Let's just say Lien was not allowed to leave the apartment without armed guard. Come. Enough about the past. Let's go eat." Wufei said, leading his brother into the apartment.

"I've decided to go to the monastery until Lien comes of age." Dewei said as they crossed the threshold into the dining room.

"That is to be expected. I understand, but please stay a week before you go. Trust me, I've endured my own torture longer than seven days, closer to seven years. It builds character, and tests your patience." Wufei said as they took their seats.

"Yes, Wufei is all about denying oneself." Noin said, smiling as the rest of the family filed in. Lien's eyes were still a little dazed from sleep, and Duo was wearing a smile she'd only seen once before, at the end of the Mariemeia rebellion, when he knew the war was finally over, it was the smile of finally coming home.

"Ohaiyo minna-san." Duo said, waving at them before he took his seat.

"Brother, I'd like to go to school today. Perhaps I could catch up on what I've missed these past eleven years." Dewei said to break the silence at the table.

"Lien will show you the way. I've got an early meeting with Trowa, so I really must be going. Thank you, Noin, for breakfast. You and Duo can do whatever today. Wufei said, getting up with most of his plate made into a sandwich he could eat on the way.

"We'll be in later, Babe." Duo sad, watching the Chinese man leave. "I think I just got what you were hinting at last night. I'll take Noin with me to the Drake."

"Actually, if Noin has a say, he would like to stay here. I've been alone so long, helping with the lunar terra forming project, it feels nice to be a part of even pseudo family." Noin said, rising from the table.

"You misunderstand me, Lady Noin. We have a coffee date with a Marquis." Duo said and she took her seat again.

Wufei waited until he was outside before he rang Quatre's room at the Drake. "Quatre, meet me in my office in ten minutes alone."

"Sure, Wufei. What is it?"

"I'll explain when you get there." Wufei said and hung up the phone. "Phase one, complete."

----end Chapter Three----

_Original Date Posted: November 2, 2005_

_**disclaimer:**__ I do not own the GW characters, or any other commercially released thing mentioned in the contents therein. I do however own the personas of the characters contained within, and any resemblances to any other author's characters (of the same name or real life persons for that matter) is purely coincidental and is not done with that intent in mind._


	4. Chapter 4

Trowa paced the room Paul had shown him to. _First Duo, now Quatre where everyone was going?_ He ran battle scenarios in his head, fearing the worst when the door opened and Wufei stepped in. "Barton."

"Chang." They bowed to each other. "I asked my sister to come, as you requested, but she has yet to show."

"She's at my apartment, as is Duo. They found each other while roaming the streets hereabouts."

The door burst open and a breathless Quatre ran in, bowing. "Sorry I'm late, Wufei."

"Ohaiyo, Quatre-kun." Trowa said, causing the blonde boy to blush as he stood upright.

"Trowa-san," Quatre said, smiling. "It's been awhile. How's Iria?"

"Pregnant with my son. Had to give our girls a boy to play with." Trowa's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "Though he's taking their mother away, any day now."

Quatre blinked. "How? Why?"

Trowa looked shocked that he did not understand. "Her carrying this baby is a seven to nine month death sentence, just like it was for your mother, Quaterina."

"But I..." Quatre started to protest, but Trowa held up his hand to silence him.

"Quatre, it is about time you realized that you aren't from a test tube like your sisters. Your Mother and Father tried twenty nine times for a boy, but it was never possible, so she had you the way Iria is having our son." Trowa said, turning to look at Wufei, hoping to get his support. Wufei was no where to be found in the office, and neither realized when he had left the room.

Duo and Noin were sitting in the hotel restaurant of the Drake, waiting for the marquis to show up. "I still don't understand why you wanted to bring me here." Noin said, taking a sip of her mocha latte.

"You'll see." Duo said, looking past her to the entrance of the restaurant, where the marquis was standing along with a petite blonde woman, her figure swollen by pregnancy, and two little girls, who fortunately enough had their father's brown hair.

Miliardo waved to Duo at the table, before bringing the whole entourage with him to their side. "Look who I bumped into in the lobby. I hope you don't mind them joining us." Miliardo said, as the two little girls began to pull on his hands, trying to get him to sit down.

"I hope you don't mind, I've brought a guest as well." Duo said, gesturing to Noin.

"Good morning, Zechs." Noin said, realizing why Duo had insisted she come. "It's been a long time."

"Lady Noin, I thought you were terra forming the moon." Miliardo said, taking his seat between Duo and Noin as the waiter helped Iria settle the two girls on the other side of the large round table.

"Trowa called me, said that Duo was missing and asked for my help in finding him." she said. "As you can see, I succeeded in my mission, but I have a feeling he wasn't really missing in the first place."

"I told Quatre as much when he suggested we look for him, but he insisted on sounding the alarm." the marquis laughed. "I really think that he was just looking for a reason to find Wufei."

"There's something I still don't get. Why, when I was the one that was missing, did everyone decide to find Wufei first?" Duo asked, no one in particular.

Iria smiled, her mirth filling the room. "It's simple. Everyone knows that Wufei would go to hell and back to find you. He'd risk everything, do anything, to make sure you were safe and well. He's always been the one to do that, Duo. He loves you."

Miliardo laughed, "All you have to do is look around to see that."

"How goes the project on the moon?" Duo asked, not liking the turn of the conversation.

"Yes, how is my sister's pet project?"

Noin blushed, "It's been going well, even after Preventer Wind left us at a crucial part of the project."

"I had to go back. They needed me since Wufei was leaving." He didn't bother to look up at her, knowing he would regret everything if he did. Lt. Zechs Merquise belonged to her, the marquis, Miliardo Peacecraft, belonged to Quatre, and that was the only way he could justify anything in his head. They were indeed two different people, the lieutenant would have never understood the heart of space, and the marquis would never be able to take up arms against anyone.

"But you didn't take his place at Preventers' Headquarters, you didn't even become a Preventer when you got back to earth." Iria said, remembering those first few months well. He had adopted the title marquis, and was like some foreign dignitary, moving into her brother's house, where she was living at the time, along with Heero and Trowa. It was a very confusing time for everyone in the house. Trowa had moved out of the main wing, where he had been staying in the master suite that connected to her brother's room. Heero and the marquis then moved into that room, since it was the grandest room in the house. That was when Catherine moved in as well, living in the guest wing with Trowa, and Trowa began to court Iria, pressing for a speedy marriage.

She looked over at her girls, Serenya and Crissa, smiling wistfully at them. She would never see them grow up, fulfill their destiny, live. Her mother had endured it giving her Quatre, the best brother anyone could hope to have, and so she would do the same, and her Helios would live on for her, less than one more month to go, not that she would tell Trowa she was further along that he knew, no need for him to worry quite yet. She felt him kick and winced, her face betraying her yet again, the sound of her gasp stopping the conversation at the table.

"That boy trying to bruise you on the inside?" Miliardo said, laughing as she nodded. He looked at Duo, "He's the reason I invited her to our little tete-a-tete, she had that same look when I found her in the lobby."

Lucrezia looked at her closely, though nothing seemed amiss other than the boy kicking her on the inside. "Is it always that painful for you when he kicks?"

"I'll be fine, Lady Noin. I was going to take the girls out today, so if you will please excuse us, we'll leave you to your coffee." Iria said, getting up from the table and promptly sliding down to the floor.

Duo was at once beside her, pulling her upright to rest against him as Noin got the girls and took them to the gift shop in the lobby while Miliardo joined Duo at her side. Her eyes opened, looking up into the marquis' eyes, "I need to talk to Quatre before I go anywhere else."

He nodded as Duo pulled out his phone, calling the blonde Prince. "Q-man, please come to the Drake now. It's really important." Duo said before calling Wufei's phone.

"Where are you, Duo?" Wufei asked.

"Where's Quatre?" Duo asked.

"In my office talking to Trowa, why?"

"Iria wants to see him, the sooner the better. I called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. We're waiting at the restaurant in the Drake hotel."

"I'll get him and we'll arrive at the Drake shortly."

Wufei opened the door to his office, finding the Trowa holding Quatre in his arms while the blonde man cried. Having finally come to terms with his part in his mother's death, feeling her loss again the way only the heart of space could, he was a wreck, only still standing because Trowa held him. "I need to see Iria." He was beating Trowa's chest as he said it over and over again.

"Trowa, she's asking for him." Wufei said, picking up the blonde's coat.

"Not while he's like this, especially in her condition." Trowa said.

"The way I see it, you don't have much of a choice. They are both being very insistent, so if you don't want to help, give him to me and you can stay here. It's immaterial to me what you do." Wufei said, draping the coat about Quatre's shoulders.

"I'll carry him." Trowa said, reluctantly, as Wufei left the room ahead of him.

"Miss Noin, is Mommy going to be alright?" Serenya, the oldest at the tender age of eight, said, coming up to her even as she held her five year old sister's hand.

She chuckled at the little girl's serious face. "She's just having a little trouble. Your little brother is being like all boys and creating a fuss where none needs to be."

Crissa's eyes lit up as she looked at the entrance to the gift shop. Freeing her hand from her sister's, she started to run towards the door. "Uncle Me-yard-oh!"

"My little Crissa. Mummy said we should go upstairs and wait for her while we play with your dollies. Should we ask Lady Noin to come, have a real life Lady play the lady of the manor?" He asked, scooping her up into his arms.

"Will you come be the Lady, Lady?" Crissa asked from the safety of her favorite uncle's arms.

"I would be honored." She said, and Serenya led them all to the elevators, back to their rooms.

"This is Uncle Quatre's dolly, but I don't think he'd mind you using it." Crissa said, handing Noin the blonde doll in her red dress, before handing her uncle the doll in the tuxedo with the long platinum hair, and mask over his head.

"I'm a Lord and you are a Lady, and we live in this fine castle with the two most beautiful princesses in the land." He whispered to Noin as Serenya helped Crissa set up the doll house. "I've missed you, Noin."

The girls were immersed in their play, they didn't notice as the grown-ups left their side and went to the couch to talk. "Is that why you're with Quatre?"

"No. They're why I'm with Quatre. I wasn't lying when I said they needed me. The ceremony, everything, was just a facade to make sure Trowa would be happy, and he is. He's married, has the children he's always wanted, and soon his son will be born and his life will be complete."

"Do you love him?" She asked, looking at the doll in her arms, a miniature Quatre in drag.

"Yes. But who wouldn't. It's impossible not to love him."

"Duo, what's going on?" Trowa asked as the American stopped him from going with Quatre into the room Iria had allowed herself to be brought to. It was her brother's hotel room, the penthouse suite.

"She knows that's the last room she'll ever see. She's dying, Tro. I didn't want to believe it, but her water broke. We called, and emergency teams are waiting, but she won't let them in until she's talked to her brother." Duo explained, looking at his hands in wonder, as if he could still feel the essence of the dying woman on them.

Trowa looked at the door closed off to him, it felt very much like a mission, and his job was to stay put and keep quiet until summoned. He accepted his role, taking a seat in the chair Wufei had brought for him before the Chinese man had gone to check where the medical personnel were.

"I'd like to thank you, brother, for the eight happiest years of my life. Now you must promise me one thing." Iria said, her voice sounding weak as her body was wracked with the pains of labor.

"Anything for you." Quatre said, bringing the her hand that he held to his lips. He was sitting next to her on the bed, showing her his bravest face, even while inside he was scared to death.

"Take care of Trowa and our children. You gave him to me once, so I'm giving him back to you." She smiled at him, even through the tears he could feel her joy. "Now you will have the children you could have never bore him. I will be happy knowing you are happy."

He nodded. "I will. I promise."

She nodded, and as she did her whole body broke out in a sweat, the pain she was trying to ignore causing her to become as white as the sheets she lay on. "You can let them in now. I'm ready." She managed to get out before her grip on his hand went slack and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

He looked at her on the bed, not believing she was dying, not wanting her to go. He stood up, balling his hands into fists, wanting to fight the unseen force that was stealing his sister. "TROWA!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he himself sunk to the floor, exhausted by all the drain of the emotions he felt today.

The door opened and he entered at his summons, the medical personnel following him through the door as he was instantly at Iria's side, holding her hand even while the doctors were trying to push him out of the way. She opened her eyes, smiling at him. "Let them bring our Helios into the world. We knew this day would come. You need to be strong now, for our girls, for our son, and for Quatre. He needs you now."

"I love you, Iria." He whispered, bending to her lips to give her one last kiss before he allowed the medics to move him out of their way. He found Quatre still sitting on the floor by the bed, the medics were just moving around him, so he picked his small frame up, carrying him to the plush chair that was nearby, Trowa sat on it, Quatre in his lap, and they waited for the sound of Helios' cry.

"What's going on?" Wufei asked, putting his hand on Duo's shoulder.

Duo was sitting in the chair Trowa had vacated and was staring at the closed door much in the same way Trowa had while he waited to go in. Duo looked up at the Chinese man. "Iria is in labor. Trowa and Quatre are in there, as are the medics. Your tampering with fate might just pay off, I think there are two couples that are going to be reunited because of this."

"Only two?" Wufei asked, raising an eyebrow as Duo got up from the chair.

"We're in the way here. It's been a long morning, a draining morning. Let's go home." Duo said, pulling Wufei away from the door to the elevators.

They arrived at the apartment, finally quiet and empty, a sudden shyness coming over both men as they removed their shoes and blazers, hanging them in the closet next to the door. Both had removed their ties earlier, due to the stress that made them feel like a hangman's noose around their necks.

"Would you like something to drink?" Wufei asked, leading him from the foyer to the living room, which they had yet to spend any time in during the past four days.

Duo took a seat at the end of the very plush, purple couch in the center of the room. "I'm fine."

Wufei took a seat next to him, bringing his legs up to sit Indian style as he buried his hands in his lap. "I hope Iria's son is alright."

Duo moved to fully face his host. "Why do you let me touch you. You let everyone think we are a couple, yet you don't try to touch me, to take me."

"I want you, but it wouldn't be right to just take what I want. I want you to want me too. I don't want it to just be one sided. If you really must know, I have waited for you to be free, all these years, hoping you'd feel even just a little about me the way I feel about you. I love you, Duo."

Duo inched a little closer. "I do love you, Wu-chan. I thought, well, you were married, you had to be straight."

Wufei looked up from his lap into the American's face, shocked as the American ventured closer still, closing the distance between their faces, but not aiming as usual for his cheek or forehead, his lips brushed against Wufei's briefly, pulling slightly back to see if there was going to be any protest before he again moved in, his tongue darting out to run along Wufei's lips, silently asking for entry into his mouth.

A bit awkwardly, Wufei opened his lips, his mouth, letting Duo wander and explore his warm moist cavern with his tongue, sensations running all over his body just from where their mouths touched. He felt Duo's arms come up, embracing him as the American pushed him backwards, so he lay down the length of the couch, his hands trapped between their two bodies as Duo continued his assault on his mouth.

Somehow, Wufei freed his hands, and found Duo's braid, running it across his right hand until he found the end, and the elastic that held it together. After removing that, he worked his fingers along the length of it, freeing the long, silky locks from their prison. "Why'd you do that?" Duo asked, ending his assault for the moment, even as he still pressed the Chinese man to the couch.

"Your hair has always captivated me." Wufei said, bringing a lock up to brush against his lips, swollen by Duo's kisses.

Duo began to get off of Wufei, arranging them so they were once again sitting on the couch. "Take yours down too."

Wufei got up off the couch, reaching back to the nape of his neck, he began to pull his braid forward, it had been hidden under his clothes, the shorter ponytail that everyone could see that went to about the middle of his back being only a fraction of his real hair, which was about as long as Dewei's. Freeing the long ebony locks he remained standing, extending a hand to the American. "I want you to hold me. I want to feel your warmth, and I don't want anyone walking in and disturbing us while I show you everything I've wanted to do since the day I met you."

Duo stood up, bringing Wufei closer for another kiss, scooping him up into his arms to carry him to the bedroom, ending the kiss while he opened the door. "I want to show you first." He said, putting him down on the bed before going back to lock the door, taking off the rest of his clothes as he walked back to the bed, removing Wufei's clothes before he laid down next to him, pulling him close for another kiss. He was going to enjoy showing Wufei how to love.

----end Chapter Four----

_Original Date Posted: November 2, 2005_

_**disclaimer:**__ I do not own the GW characters, or any other commercially released thing mentioned in the contents therein. I do however own the personas of the characters contained within, and any resemblances to any other author's characters (of the same name or real life persons for that matter) is purely coincidental and is not done with that intent in mind._


	5. Epilogue Five Years Later

_Five years later_

"Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her brother and I do." Duo said, putting Lien's hand in Dewei's. Wufei was sitting where the mother of the bride usually does, behind the bride, a handkerchief in hand blotting away the tears as he rubbed his swollen belly.

The estrogen and progesterone shots he had to take so his body wouldn't reject the womb were making him rather emotional, but this was going to be their third and last time, Duo had promised, these twins bringing the count of their children to five. And this time he and Noin were pregnant at the same time, so he didn't have to endure his suffering alone. She and the Marquis were frequent visitors to them, on the colony at L5, as were Trowa, Quatre, and the kids, though it was agreed that Quatre couldn't endure the struggle of having any more children for the couple. Iria had known that when she married Trowa, and deep down that was her reason for doing so.

Duo squeezed his hand as he took his seat next to him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. It seemed like the whole colony turned out to witness this wedding, the courtyard of the Maxwell Church filled to capacity with people and floral arrangements, then Duo was the one who made most of the plans. How he convinced the couple to have two weddings, the traditional Chinese ceremony and the traditional Christian ceremony, Wufei did not know, but he was glad that the Chinese ceremony, which would take place in the forbidden city on earth, wouldn't nearly have so many people.

As the priest prattled on about love and the sanctity of marriage, Wufei looked around the room, at his friends that he was reunited with, the only good thing that happened to him during the war. Looking back he realized how much he had missed by leaving them to "find himself," feeling like it was all his fault that they had all fallen apart. Strange to think that in searching for Duo they had all found themselves again.

Quatre and Miliardo dissolved their union on Helios' second birthday, by then Noin had returned to earth, the cities of Serenity and Tranquility having been successfully established on the Moon, and soon she and the marquis were reunited and wed, as were Trowa and Quatre. Wufei didn't miss these weddings, vowed never to miss one again, no matter where he was, or how pregnant he was.

He and Duo had moved to the colony at L5 shortly after their guests left L2. To be more convenient, since everyone was on the colony already, they had a private ceremony at the Drake, in the Penthouse so Iria could witness it as well. She never left the colony, nor that room. Hanging on to life, she died shortly after the ceremony, and a heartbroken Trowa took her to be buried at home, leaning on the support of Quatre and Miliardo.

Heero and Relena were married as planned, and perhaps he was to moved by his wife's new attitude, he never went through with his threat to try and take Duo back.

Lien had stayed at the Maxwell Church, as a paying boarder. She helped the nuns with the orphans while she went to school, and wrote letters to Dewei, who was on Earth, in seclusion, biding his time, waiting for today.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." Fr. Stuart concluded the ceremony, and Wufei's smile deepened even further seeing their kiss. Finally, everything was right in the world.

----end----

_Original Date Posted: November 2, 2005_

_**disclaimer:**__ I do not own the GW characters, or any other commercially released thing mentioned in the contents therein. I do however own the personas of the characters contained within, and any resemblances to any other author's characters (of the same name or real life persons for that matter) is purely coincidental and is not done with that intent in mind._


End file.
